The Escort
by Ascoeur
Summary: Saeko, wanting her daughter to land a guy, tricks Natsuki into escorting the currently partner-seeking, Fujino Corporation heir to Europe, hoping the two will hit it off. But as Natsuki awaits his arrival from Kyoto, HE turns out to be a SHE? ShizNatNao
1. Chapter 1

A loud banging emanated from the other side of the door, and the voice of a mature woman followed, "Natsuki, are you home?"

The girl in question, having been knocked out of her pleasant mayo dreams, immediately shot up from her bed in urgency at the sound at the other side. _Is that my __**mother**__!_

"Natsuki, if you're here, open the door right this instant!"

That confirmed it. The girl with the exotic hair color of a midnight sky hue scrambled out of bed and cursed after pulling on a tendon due to the sudden movement. This was no time for a cramp, though, so she painfully stretched it out and hurriedly made her bed.

_Damn it, why didn't she call up or something! My apartment's a shitty mess!_

"Natsuki, if you don't open the door in the next minute, I'll be forced to use my copy of your key," her mother threatened.

Natsuki, realizing that there was no way for her to clear up all the objects scattered across her apartment in less than a minute, resigned. She quickly made her way to the door and opened it, letting her mom access her humble apartment.

Saeko Kuga sighed dejectedly. "Natsuki, haven't you done Saturday cleaning yet?"

_I never have. _"Not yet, sorry, I just woke up," Natsuki lied.

Saeko, seemingly a more responsible and grown-up version of Natsuki, pulled out a wooden stool with four long legs from below the kitchen bar table and removed some articles of clothing on the chair before seating on it.

"Honestly, Natsuki, you're a college student now," she lectured, massaging her temple. "You need to learn to be more... what's the word? Independent? Responsible? Clean? Well, there are many words you need to become. Or else, how will you land a husband?"

_Geez, what are you—my mother? _Natsuki thought in aggravation. _Oh, wait, you are…_

"Mom, are we here to talk about the lack of romance in my life?" Natsuki deadpanned.

"We might as well be," Saeko replied. "But that not exactly why I'm here… though it's not far from my purpose, either."

"Shoot," Natsuki said, taking a seat by her couch's armrest.

"As you know," Saeko began, taking off her glasses to alleviate the throbbing by the sides of her head, "I work for Japan Airlines as a flight attendant. I've been assigned a new job that requires me to escort the Fujino Corporation's heir from Japan all the way to Europe so that he can find a fiancée there."

Natsuki's left eyebrow quirked with interest, followed by a grin. "You mean the heir of the Fujino Corporation's G.A.L.S modeling agency? The most popular in the _world_?"

Saeko nodded and smiled back. "That's the one."

"That's so cool! Congratulations, mom!" Natsuki said, jumping off the couch and rushing to her mom to give her a well-deserved hug.

While they embraced, Saeko whispered into Natsuki's ear, "No. Congratulations to _you, _Natsuki. You're going to be the escort!"

Natsuki abruptly pulled out from the affectionate hug and her eyes widened skeptically. "WHAT!"

"Now, now, no need to be so altered," Saeko said soothingly, hoping her daughter would offer her some time to explain. "You've been a temporary flight attendant at times, you know how the airport functions, and knowing English, you can get by anywhere in the world. You'll be fine!"

"I know what I can and can't do, I just want to know why **you **can't go! I mean, you just told me this job was assigned to YOU!" Natsuki argued, leaning against the table and glaring at her mother.

Saeko sighed. "My daughter is so oblivious to her surroundings. Haven't you noticed that my right foot is in a cast?"

At hearing this, Natsuki immediately shot her gaze to meet with her mother's conspicuous white cast, some signatures scribbled on it. Natsuki instantly felt bad for lashing out at her mother like that.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, turning her eyes over to the television, which wasn't even on. "I-I didn't see it…"

"It's alright," Saeko reassured, patting her blushing daughter on the head, which only caused her to redden even more. "As you can see, with this big cast on my foot, I can't go anywhere, much less make international flights. I was just so happy when I heard about this, and somehow, during my joyous leaping, I sprained my ankle. It should heal soon, but apparently not soon enough for me to escort the heir. I already told my boss that I would try and find a replacement, so here I am, coming to my ever-reliable daughter!"

"And that girl is…?" Natsuki prodded, raising her eyebrows.

"It's you, obviously!" Saeko revealed, clapping her hands together.

"No," Natsuki declined with arms crossed. "I refuse."

"Well, it's a bit late to refuse, Natsuki," Saeko said lamentably, pulling out and unfolding a sheet that came off as an official-looking document. "I already signed you up!"

"MOTHER!" Natsuki reproached, face-palming and then glaring daggers at the woman who brought her into this world through her fingers.

Saeko's gleeful expression morphed into one of guilt, and then she asked, "Are you mad, Natsuki?"

_Oh, I don't know, does the glaring give you any hints?_

"Mom, I just want to know why you're doing this, sending me of all people," Natsuki responded, feeling that if she was going to go through with this, she might as well know the reason behind it.

"This is where my other semi-truth comes in," Saeko informed. "Natsuki, you've been single for far too long. And what better man for you than the Fujino Corporation's heir? He'll be a gentleman and with all that money, you'll never have to work a day in your life!"

"I rather like working, thank you very much," Natsuki countered defiantly. "And instead of a gentleman, all I'd be getting would be a cocky-ass bastard who'll think he's too good for me!"

Saeko cleared her throat harshly. "Watch your language, Natsuki."

The blue-haired girl muttered a "Sorry" and hung her head.

"So, you _are _doing it then?" Saeko questioned, needing the confirmation before checking in one last time with her boss.

Natsuki didn't answer, but turned her head to the side in aggravation.

"Come on, you're in summer break, so it won't get in the way of your schoolwork!"

Natsuki began to turn her countenance towards her mother slowly.

"Pretty please?"

"Fine, I'll do it," Natsuki consented reluctantly.

"Great!"

"But I am NOT going to try and land the guy," Natsuki said matter-of-factly. "I mean, he's going to Europe to try and find a fiancée for goodness' sake! He doesn't need another chick hitting on him!"

"Well, my daughter is very attractive, maybe you'll make him change his mind before landing?" Saeko said suggestively.

"Ewwww, no, no, no, and HELL NO!" Natsuki inserted her finger into the far depths of her mouth and pretended to gag.

Saeko pouted. "Oh, well, maybe it'll be you who changes her mind once you see him."

Her mother's comment brought about another question to Natsuki's mind. "What does he look like anyhow?"

Saeko pondered this for a while, and then returned to Natsuki. "To be honest, I've no idea."

Natsuki stared at her disbelievingly. "How can you not know what he looks like? I mean, isn't he the most successful company's heir? And if it's a modeling agency, there should be various articles on the guy, right?"

"I haven't bothered to check yet," Saeko admitted shyly.

Natsuki flicked her hair back, and pondered over her mom's answer. "You'd expect the escort to be interested enough in the client to look him up. Ugh, I bet he's going to be butt-ugly!"

"Love overlooks appearances," Saeko said wisely, raising a finger for emphasis.

"Yeah, well, I don't love him. I don't even KNOW him!" Natsuki reminded.

"Well, you loved Takeda once, you could learn to love him, too," Saeko said.

"Puagh, please don't bring that guy into this," Natsuki pleaded, now she really felt like gagging. "I already told you our whole relationship was a fake."

"To him it wasn't," Saeko replied, feeling sorry for the guy.

"Tch, well it was his fault, then," Natsuki said, grimacing. "Let's not talk about this anymore."

Saeko rose from the stool, wincing a bit due to her injured foot, and then limped over to the couch littered with clothing, the one closest to Natsuki's house phone.

"I hope you don't mind me using your phone, I left mine in the car," Saeko said with a shrug.

"Yeah, sure, but what for?" Natsuki questioned curiously.

"To inform my boss that you've agreed to be the escort," Saeko revealed.

"Oh… wait, doesn't he already know that?" Natsuki said dubiously, arms akimbo. "And didn't you already sign me up?"

"Well, yes, I did. But if you had been dead set on not going, I could have cancelled," Saeko replied nonchalantly, dialing the number on the number keypad.

"I could have cancelled!" Natsuki screamed out cynically.

Saeko beckoned her daughter into silence by placing a finger atop her lips. She held the phone closer to her ear when she heard the receiver being picked up. "Hello, Mr. Yoshiaki? Yes, It's Miss. Kuga. Oh, no, I'm only calling to inform you that my daughter has agreed to make the trip to London, England as the Fujino heir's escort. Mn-hmm. Yes, she said she's be _honored _to do it."

Natsuki groaned inwardly.

"Oh, the flight's tomorrow? I thought it was scheduled for next week? Well, my daughter is very flexible. She has all the time in the world!"

Natsuki wanted bang her head on the table.

"I see, so the Fujino heir and my daughter will meet at Tokyo to take off from there, correct? Well, we're already in Tokyo, so aren't we lucky!"

Natsuki rolled her eyes.

The flight is at 11:30 a.m? Roger that, Mr. Yoshiaki! Oh, my foot? Yes, it's better already. Thank you for your concern and time. See you at work, sir. Good-bye!"

"Tomorrow?" Natsuki questioned, having already drawn her act together. She shouldn't stress herself over what she had no control over, right? Just let it take its course.

"According to my boss, yes," Saeko said cheerfully. "So don't you think you should start packing?"

Natsuki knew that it could no longer be helped, so she nodded. "I will. Just let me call the place where I part-time at so that I won't get in trouble for not being there the next… how long will it take to get to Europe? I mean, England?

"Hmm, there will be many connecting flights, and there's also the return flights to consider, so I think maybe about a week? Take two weeks off just in case there are delays, you won't miss work and the days left you have free will serve as resting days to get over your potential jetlag."

Natsuki nodded, and walked into her room to retrieve her cell phone.

Saeko decided she'd help out her daughter with the Saturday cleaning since she would need time to pack for Europe. Though, being the escort, did she really need much? She chose not to think too much into it. Natsuki would only take the essentials. And concerning the Fujino heir... well, Saeko trusted that her daughter would make the right decision concerning the person.

It was finally the promised day.

Natsuki stood at the entrance of the airport with her baggage, which was just a large, cylindrical sports bag hanging from her shoulder and a carry-on bag. Her mother had already bid her farewell, and so had left. It was strange, since she seemed to walk rather fine for someone who had just gotten her ankle sprained. Natsuki doubted her mother would fake it or anything, though. Why would she, right?

The college-bound student accessed the Narita International Airport, where she would meet up with her wealthy client.

Natsuki made her way to the desks of Japan Airlines so that she could check-in her baggage as well as herself. Her bag was very light, so she didn't have to pay the overweight fee, just the amount of yen that was required of every person.

_Hmm, later on, I'll probably have to get some dollars, pesetas, euros, and… What was England's currency again? Ugh, I'll worry about it later._

Once she received her plane ticket from the self-check-in machine, she retired from the desk with her carry-on and searched for the security identification display areas, where her stuff would be x-rayed and she herself would be checked.

Once arriving at the Air Line security, she showed her passport and entered, taking one of the tubs to put her shoes and bag in. She didn't have a laptop, so she needn't to worry over getting a tub for it.

Once her turn finally arrived, she passed through the door frame-like thing that would detect any suspicious objects.

Just when she thought she was free to go, she heard a beeping emanating from the computers that the officers were monitoring.

_Oh, shit._

It was none other than her bag.

Many people turned their attention over to her, and her face grew hot in an instant. She always hated being put on the spot. Now, all the people that were standing idly in front and behind her, stared at her with interest. Not the good kind, either. It sucked when everyone was weary of you just because of that dreaded beeping.

"Miss, will you please come here?" one of the officers asked, though it was very much a rhetorical question.

Natsuki nodded and headed his way. "Is something wrong, sir?"

The officers pulled out her bag and opened it without asking permission. Natsuki was irked by this, but she remained silent, since at the moment, she was practically the criminal.

The officer pulled out a water bottle and smiled. "Please refrain from putting any liquids in your bag, our detectors are sensitive to this, and it will make the alarm go off."

"R-right, thanks," Natsuki said abashedly, snatching her bag and water bottle from the officer and bowing before retrieving the rest of her stuff.

She really wanted to get away from that place as fast as she could, since people were beginning to shake their heads at her ignorance.

_Oh, like you guys are all perfect! _Natsuki thought bitterly. _I just haven't gone to the airport in a long time, so I'm a bit rusty on this stuff…_

Now past security, she headed to the food court, looking for a McDonalds or some sort fast food place.

After ordering her happy meal, she sat down and began to chow down her burger while wearing a frown.

"I haven't eaten any breakfast, since I didn't have time to cook," she muttered to herself, resting her head on the palm of her hand while her elbow withstood the weight.

As she ate, she'd look to her watch every now and then to see if the Fujino heir would be arriving soon. She had to meet with him as soon as he disembarked the plane and into the gate, because they needed some time to find the gate that would lead them to L.A, the first stop of many connections they'd have to make in order to get to London, England.

_Let's see, the place ticket says that it'll take about 11 hours and 18 minutes to get there… Oh, goody, _were her thoughts, dripping with sarcasm. _And this is only the first connection..._

"Flight number 1375 from Kyoto is now landing, passengers of flight 4862 please be ready to board" rang out from the intercoms in the area.

Natsuki shot up from her seat. _Oh, crap, 1375? That's Fujino's flight!_

The rushed girl threw away her happy meal and briskly walked over to the McDonals counter.

"Excuse me, could I get some pen and paper?" she asked impatiently. "Preferably a big piece of paper, please."

The lady working at the council wasn't very pleased with the way Natsuki ordered her around, but at least she said _please_, so she complied with the altered girl's request.

"Here you go, thank you for always choosing Mc—"

Natsuki left before the girl could finish her service line.

The passengers were disembarking the plane and filing out from the jet bridge that connected the airplane and the gate.

Natsuki had used the piece of paper she'd gotten to write in massive, bold letters "FUJINO."

_Hopefully, Fujino'll see the sign, _Natsuki thought, lifting the paper up and letting rest on her bosom.

As more people kept walking out, Natsuki searched for a man that looked overdressed or possessed a gallant walk that practically screamed, "Hey, look at me, I'm the shit!"

Just then, the aggravated girl felt a tap on the shoulder, and so she turned, only to find herself face-to-face with a beauty. Her countenance was pale, but a vivid one, overflowing with life. Her hair was a clash between a rich chestnut and glowing honey color, with curls bouncing at the ends every now and then to comply with the laws of physics. Her figure was that of a supermodel's, and the smile she was displaying was that of an angel's.

Needless to say, she was drop-dead, you're-so-getting-rejected gorgeous!

Natsuki gulped. With a great deal of effort.

"Yeah?" She tried her best to sound nonchalant.

"I apologize for bothering you, but do you know what time it is?" Her accent, which Natsuki identified as Kyoto's, resounded in her ears.

Natsuki was about to check her watch, but then noticed that the time was displayed on the far wall. Was this girl blind? Or just plain dumb?

_Yeah, I guess her pretty face would make up for her lack of brains. What did I expect?_

"Um, the time is over there," she deadpanned, pointing her finger beyond the girl.

The girl followed Natsuki's finger and turned around. "Why, you're absolutely right!"

Natsuki nodded in acknowledgement and returned her attention to the passengers, still filing out of the plane.

Again, she was tapped in the shoulder.

And again, she turned.

"Yes?" Natsuki said rigidly, trying her best not to seem irritated.

"My apologies for bothering you again, but I'm near-sighted, so I can't rightly see the time from that far-off distance," the girl admitted, flashing another smile, but this one more abash.

_Well, why don't you get closer to the darn thing?_

Natsuki sighed. "Don't worry, I'll just check my watch." Natsuki did so. "It's 10:30 a.m."

"Thank you very much," the girl said, bowing.

"Uh, yeah, no problem," Natsuki dismissed. Once again, she turned to the gate.

"You know," the girl began, "I'm here to meet someone."

_So is everybody else, _Natsuki thought. "That's cool."

"Tokyo is not really my destination, I'm going somewhere else," the girl added conversationally.

Natsuki really didn't feel like talking, since now she feared that she may have missed Fujino, since the number of passengers exiting the gate were diminishing. She really didn't have time for this girl.

"Oh" was all she said, hoping the girl would get the hint and scram.

"Are you waiting for someone, too?" The girl just wouldn't give up.

"You could say that," Natsuki replied.

"You could just wait in the baggage claim area… um…?"

"It's Kuga," Natsuki said. "Natsuki Kuga."

"Kuga-han," she finished with an enchanting smile.

The girl then noticed the sign the bluenette was holding. "Is that a welcome home sign?"

Natsuki finally snapped. "Hey, do you mind? I really need to pay attention to the gate, I haven't found the person I'm looking for yet, and I'll be in trouble if I don't."

The girl was a bit discouraged by Natsuki's rudeness, but she read the sign before a smile crept onto her face.

"Ara, Fujino?"

"Yeah, Fujino Corporation's G.A.L.S supermodel agency owner's heir," Natsuki said. "I'm the escort, and we're supposed to meet up here."

"Why, this must be kismet, Kuga-han," the girl said excitedly, clasping her hands together charmingly. "I'm Fujino Shizuru!"

Natsuki's eyebrow twitched, and she finally turned to face the girl with an incredulous expression. "...You're… Fujino?"

Shizuru nodded vibrantly.

"Where's your brother?"

"My, I'm afraid I'm the only child," Shizuru revealed.

"Your father?"

"He's back in Kyoto, of course!"

"Your Uncle?"

"In a better place."

"Your cousin?"

"Ara, his last name isn't Fujino."

Natsuki blinked in disbelief.

"So… _you're _the Fujino I'm looking for?"

"Ara, might there be any others?"

"But… you're a girl," Natsuki argued meekly, overcome by shock. "And… and my mom—ehem—I mean, my sources said you were a guy."

"Ara, one should not just assume that a _heir_ is solely a boy, since nowadays heiress and heir are pretty interchangeable, yes?" Shizuru lectured sweetly.

Natsuki zoned out for the ending half of the lecture since all she could think to herself at the moment was: _I just snapped at the Fujino heiress…. I just snapped at the Fujino heiress…. I just snapped at the Fujino heiress…. I am so dead… I am so dead… No, first I'm fired, then I'm dead…_

"Is everything alright, Fujino-sama?" a very old and overdressed man questioned, seemingly the butler or something.

"Yes, Katamura-han, no need to worry," Shizuru assured, then turned to Natsuki. "This is Kuga Natsuki-han, my escort."

Katamura nodded Natsuki's way in acknowledgement, and the girl bowed deeply.

_How cute_, Shizuru thought to herself, her calm exterior not giving a hint on her thoughts, though.

"I see, then I am glad you have found her." He took Shizuru's hand and kissed it lightly. "I shall take my leave now then, Fujino-sama. I wish you the best on the search of your partner. I am sure you will make the right choice."

"Ara, what a gentleman, Katamura-han. Ookini."

"Kuga-han," he called to the escort, gaining the girl's full attention.

"Y-yes?" Natsuki responded.

The man's eyes grew intense and serious. "In the Fujino Corporation's name, please take good care of our Mistress."

Natsuki nodded countless times. "Yes, sir!"

With that, he promptly left.

Natsuki felt as thought she could breathe again.

"So, Kuga-han accepts that I am a female, now, yes?" Shizuru queried with a smile.

"Ah, yeah, you're fine," Natsuki reassured. "Just a mistake on my part."

"I'm fine?" Shizuru repeated, making the sound a bit more sensual than it should.

Natsuki, oblivious as she was, completely overlooked this. "Yes, you're fine."

"Ara, hitting on me already?" Shizuru said with amusement, pretending to shy away.

The innuendo finally sunk in. "Not that way!"

"If Kuga-han says so," Shizuru replied with a charming grin.

"Never mind, let's just get going," Natsuki huffed out, throwing the sign into the trashcan. _I'm going to be dealing with _**this** _for over 11 hours and 18 minutes… someone shoot me now._

_

* * *

_I've had this idea in mind for a while now. I'm glad I finally get to write it out! If you're going to be practically traveling the world with someone, you can't help but fall in love, right? Or so I hope... I would really appreciate some feedback. It pushes me to write, since I take lazy to a whole new level :p (no kidding, sometimes I don't update stuff in months :s). Thank you for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

The two girls strode out of the gates area. Natsuki walked about two steps ahead of Shizuru, and the latter followed closely behind, only meeting with Natsuki's back profile. She retained her smile, not particularly minding the view of Natsuki's swaying figure in front of her.

As the beauty behind her gathered her first impressions on her, Natsuki was coping with some inner turmoil. She was oscillating between speaking to her companion or remaining quiet and continuing their mute trip. After all, her job was only to escort the heiress, not entertain her. She presumed that the Kyoto-borne was aware of this as well, and so chose to cease her vacillating to settle for her second option. The two were strictly here on business, so their relationship should and would be kept professional.

Natsuki nodded to herself, satisfied with her decision. Shizuru, though, had no idea what had caused the girl to quickly shake her noddle forward and back.

The girl with the darker shade of hair pulled out her plane ticket again and checked for the gate to their flight. It wasn't there. She halted in perplexity, scratching her head. Shizuru, almost bumping into her, became conscious of the expression her escort wore and spoke up.

"Is something the matter?" she queried, siding closer to her to see what she was staring so bulgy-eyed at.

Natsuki, almost forgetting she was there, jumped at hearing her voice suddenly so close, but just as quickly recovered. "It's the gate. It's not on the plane ticket. We're going to have to check the panels."

"Indeed," Shizuru agreed.

The flight information display system panels were spread around all parts of the airport, so it wouldn't be hard to find one nearby. As the pair ambled down the large corridors of the airport searching for one, Shizuru's scrutinizing gaze caught sight of a very colorful store.

She stopped in her tracks, mesmerized by it. Natsuki wasn't hearing her client's footsteps behind her anymore, so she turned back to see what had made her stop.

"The gift shop?" Natsuki deduced, settling right beside Shizuru.

Shizuru was brought out of her trance at the sound of Natsuki's voice. "Ah, yes, Kuga-han, how much time do we have?"

"Well, the last time I checked, it was 10:30, so we've got a little less than an hour before our flight," Natsuki informed.

Shizuru twirled around charmingly to face Natsuki and smiled. "Would my escort mind sparing some time to take a look around the gift shop? I promise it will be quick."

Natsuki nodded, slowly. "Sure, but why?"

Shiziru kept her smile in place. "My, aren't you forward? There's no important reason behind it, I just like visiting the gift shops of places I travel to in order to buy souvenirs. Call it my fad."

Shizuru appeared almost embarrassed at admitting this, and some part of Natsuki's deep subconscious thought it was cute.

"But haven't you been to Tokyo before?" Natsuki questioned

"Oh, I have, but my parents wouldn't allow me much time to myself, and so I couldn't visit gift shops, or any public places for that matter," Shizuru revealed, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear and smiling faintly.

Natsuki didn't seem to notice her tough façade falter slightly at hearing this, but it was a bouncing drop that, just as fast as it came, left her.

"Y-you don't need to ask for my permission," Natsuki nagged, crossing her arms before her chest. "Do what you want. I'll wait for you."

Shizuru beamed at Natsuki before entering the gift shop. The bluenette could have sworn she almost saw her skipping giddily.

_Well, if I'm here, might as well check out what they have, _Natsuki mused, accessing the shop herself.

Natsuki sauntered past the many toys, souvenirs, candies, and books the shop stacked at view. She hadn't bothered to share more than three seconds of her time to each type of item. That was until a familiar magazine was caught in her line of vision.

It was this month's issue of the G.A.L.S magazine, courtesy of the Fujino Corporation's modeling agency.

_How ironic, _Natsuki thought with amusement as she picked up the article, _I just happen to be travelling with the owner's daughter. _

Glamorous. Astounding. Lovely. Sexy.

That was what G.A.L.S. stood for. All the company's models had to live up to the each word the acronym held, or possess at least some of the qualities before even considering applying to become a model at the Fujino Corporation's agency. It was very competitive, since all models were highly regarded and it would be hard to find replacements or add people to the lot. Many girls were after the fame and recognition they were bound to receive if they became a G.A.L.S. model, so there was always an innumerable amount of people trying out for entry.

Natsuki, of course, had never been one of them. She hardly even read the magazine. Had it not been for her mother, she would have never even known about the Fujino Corporation.

_Man, sometimes I wonder how I get through life without knowing a damn thing, _Natsuki thought, before her eyes flickered over to another article.

Stunning. Enchanting. Audacious. Respectful. Refined. Suave

That was what S.E.A.R.R.S. stood for.

S.E.A.R.R.S. was another modeling agency, the only one which dared to challenge the Fujino's G.A.L.S. What made the two companies' rivalry slightly ludicrous was the fact that Searrs consisted of an all-male model staff, while Gals was an all-female's. Most people took it as a battle of the sexes, and loved to watch the conflict between the couple for fun.

Natsuki only knew about Searrs and Gals because, while researching about Fujino, she stumbled upon a variety of information on both of the companies. Gals was still a tad more popular than Searrs, so the male models' company held bitter rancor for that. But, as one of the words in the acronym said, they were "audacious" and therefore did not give up.

Natsuki continued to read the latest Searrs magazine, eyeing the male models with a deep grimace.

_Ew, put a shirt on, you look like a man-whore, _Natsuki thought with disgust.

Though, just as she was about to turn to the other page, the alarm went off in the gift shop. A beep that resounded every two seconds. She searched for the cause of the alarm flaring, and found the source to be a red-head with a slightly shorter stature than herself.

The red-head had short hair that never crossed collarbone, and she was wearing a thick jacket that only made her all the more suspicious. Her facial expression also read "Oh, I'm screwed!" and Natsuki couldn't help but shake her head at the girl's incompetence.

The alarm had stopped by now.

"Excuse me, Miss, but please remain where you are," one of the clerks said, taking her time to walk out from behind the counter and towards her.

The girl reluctantly complied, stuffing her hands into her pockets grumpily, awaiting the search that was sure to come.

Natsuki, watching the girl's predicament unfold before her, couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She decided that it was none of her business and returned to her magazine. Still, though, she couldn't just disregard the situation. From her peripheral vision, she caught one of the fridge magnet stands by her.

And then she sighed. She was _so _going to hate herself for this later.

She hurriedly walked to the stand, pulled off one magnet, peeled off its price tag, the one with the barcode, and then rushed in the two women's direction.

"Excuse me!" she called once she arrived there.

The red-head, with her feline features, quirked an eyebrow, clearly wondering what the stranger wanted with them.

"What is it, Miss?" the clerk questioned, tapping her foot. "If it's something concerning the shop, please see the other workers, I'm sure they will be more than glad to—"

"Ah, no, it's just that, I think I know what set the alarm off," Natsuki confessed.

The clerk looked genuinely interested now. "Is that so, Miss?"

Natsuki didn't explain, she simply knelt down on the floor and lifted the red-head's foot swiftly, almost making her lose her balance and fall.

The young delinquent glowered at her. "What the hell—!?"

"I knew it," Natsuki said, mostly to herself. She was standing again.

The clerk leaned over to see what it as she held in her hand. It was a price tag.

"It happened to me once," Natsuki explained, grinning at the clerk. "The alarm went off, and no one found anything on me that set it off. But then one of the officers noticed there was gum on my shoe, and a price tag was stuck to it. That was what set it off."

The clerk was impressed by the girl's wits. "That explains a lot. Thank you, Miss." The clerk returned to the red-head. "And I do owe you an apology for my rudeness. Please don't reflect my actions on the store, since this was solely my mistake."

"Uh, sure, apology accepted," the red-head said, uncertainty clouding her tone.

The clerk bowed and promptly left.

"Damn, rookie mistake," the shorter of the remaining two grumbled, biting her elegant nail in frustration. "

"You think _you're _mad?" Natsuki flared up. "I can't believe I just helped you get away with crime…"

The other girl stopped biting her nail and turned to her with a scowl. "What are you still doing here? Expecting me to faint in your arms and squeal out _'My hero~!' _like the rescued damsel in distress?"

_I regret saving her already, _Natsuki thought, her mouth twitching in annoyance. "Why are you talking to me like that? I just saved your ass!"

"Well, my ass didn't need saving, thank you!"

Natsuki grew even more aggravated. _This _was what she got for performing a god deed? Right about now she wished she could travel back in time and punch some sense into her past self for even _considering _helping out this insolent girl.

Natsuki was about to retort, but the red-head interrupted her upcoming comeback by abruptly extending out her hand and saying, "Nao."

Natsuki was taken aback. The girl was holding out her hand to her. Did she want something?

"Now…? Now what?" Natsuki asked, puzzled.

"_NAO_, stupid, not _NOW_," the red-head, now identified as Nao, chided. "That's my name. Gosh, you're dense!"

Natsuki opened her mouth, ready to snap back, but then she realized the other girl had just introduced herself.

_Only her name? What about her last name? _Natsuki thought. _Well, if she's not giving out a last name, then neither am I._

"Natsuki," she said, holding out her hand and waiting for Nao's, who had retracted hers during her reproaching episode.

"Not _suki_?" Nao repeated, brows furrowing and eyes squinting sharply. "What—you don't _like _my name? Well, screw you, who cares what you think! I bet your name is a load of bull—!"

"No," Natsuki spat on edge, crossing her arms before her chest tightly. "My name is _Natsuki_! It's not that I don't _like _your name!"

"Why did they have to make your name so confusing, then?" Nao retorted incredulously.

"I don't know," Natsuki snapped back. "I couldn't exactly have a say on _my _name since I wasn't even born yet!"

"Well, I got to pick _my_ name," Nao said slyly. Her eyes then wandered from Natsuki's perplexed ones to the digital, rectangular clock that hung on the shop's wall beyond her shoulder.

Natsuki, having mollified her frustration towards the girl, now began, "Wait, what do you mean by—?"

"Wow, it's already this late?" Nao said to herself. She turned to Natsuki, who was fuming over being interrupted. "Sorry, gotta go."

"What… where?" Natsuki, much to her chagrin, found herself asking.

Nao sent Natsuki a skeptical look. "This is an airport," she spoke slowly, as if dealing with a retard. "People fly to other places from here. I'm one of them."

"I know what the airport is for," Natsuki growled through gritted teeth.

Nao smirked, satisfied with her jest, knelt down to grab her carry-on and turned on her heel.

With her back now facing Natsuki, and her free hand scratching the side of her chin, she murmured, "Well… uh… thanks for… you know…I guess… See ya!"

And, without allowing herself a last glance back at her savior, she made a mad dash for her flight to who-knows-where.

"No problem…?" Natsuki tried replying, but the girl was too far out of earshot to hear her.

_Airport's full of crazy people, _Natsuki thought to herself.

The intercom came on again. "Dear passengers, welcome to Narita International Airport. Please be sure to keep a careful watch over all your baggage and items. If you happen to come across a passenger engaging in suspicious activity, please do not hesitate to report it to the staff member nearest you. All of us are glad to have you here today and hope you have a very pleasant flight and safely arrive at your destination. Thank you."

Natsuki sweat-dropped. _Should I report her? I already let her away anyways… nice going, me._

Shizuru, holding a bag with her purchase in it, trotted her way over to Natsuki. "Kuga-han, is something wrong? I heard the alarm go off."

_That was ten minutes ago, but still, thank you for making your belated appearance, _Natsuki thought.

"Kuga-han?" Shizuru repeated, cocking her head to the side with a questioning gaze.

"O-oh, sorry, I was just thinking," Natsuki stuttered out, scratching the back of her head sheepishly. No way was she going to let Shizuru know of her mental remarks.

"A yen for your thoughts?" Shizuru offered with a smile.

"Are my thoughts that cheap?" Natsuki responded, looking offended.

"Ara, unless they revolve around the cure for a terminal illness, ideas for advancements in technology, or stances on controversial matters, I'm afraid I can only offer so much," Shizuru replied, retaining her smile in place.

"Then keep your yen," Natsuki replied, grinning. "My thoughts aren't worth it."

The heiress wanted to continue their casual banter, but seeing as how Natsuki's wasn't planning to divulge any more information and apparently wanted to keep some things private, she ceased her prodding.

"Has Kuga-han checked for our gate yet?" Shizuru asked.

Natsuki was hit by realization. "Oh, crud! I forgot about that! Let's go!"

Natsuki absent-mindedly grabbed for Shizuru's free arm, the one that held her carry-on and not the gift bag, and raced out of the store to the nearest panel.

- - -

The heiress and her escort arrived at one of the many screens that monitored the departure and arrival of the flights. Shizuru followed Natsuki as the girl searched for their flight in the "Departure" screen. Every now and then, Natsuki would look from the plane tickets to the screen, to find a flight number that was on par with the one on the plane tickets.

As she searched the panel for her flight, she felt a familiar vibration begin to buzz at her right thigh—her cell phone was ringing. She deftly pulled it out and checked the name displaying on the small screen. It was her mom.

Natsuki lifted her gaze and her eyes immediately found Shizuru's questioning ones.

"Sorry, I have to take this call," Natsuki said apologetically. "Would you mind looking for our flight number? It's the one right here"—Natsuki pointed to the far left side of the ticket—"6457 to Los Angeles."

Shizuru followed Natsuki's lecturing finger on the ticket and nodded. "I believe I can manage," she said, flashing her escort a reassuring smile.

Natsuki smiled back and rushed out the crowd of people to a corner by an electronics shop.

She pulled out her cell phone and managed to catch her mom before the ringing stopped. "Hello?"

"Hello, Natsuki," the woman greeted vibrantly from the other side of the phone. "So… have you met the Fujino heir yet?"

"As a matter of fact, mom, yes, I have," Natsuki said calmly.

"And?" Saeko prodded, urging more from Natuski.

"And… what?"

"Is he cute? Is he a gentleman? Is he dressed elegantly? Is he your age? Does he have that beautiful Kyoto accent?"

Natsuki sighed. It was time to break it to her. "Mom… he's a girl."

At the other side of the phone, Saeko blinked. "Well, even if he has a feminine appearance, as I've said before, love overlooks—"

"Mom," Natsuki disrupted sternly. "The heir is a heiress."

"… Transvestite?"

"Mom, it's a _female_!!" Natsuki screamed into the phone, earning some odd glances from other passengers. "Born with the breasts, and the curves, and the vagi—!"

"Natsuki, I understand what it means to be female, you can stop now!" Saeko scolded, her cheeks flushing because she had her daughter on speaker and was currently at work.

Saeko, too, earned some odd glances from where she was.

With her cell-phone now back to the normal, for-your-ears-only mode, Saeko continued. "So it's a heiress then?"

"Yeah," Natsuki confirmed, having glared the other passengers away.

There was moment in which the two relatives remained quiet.

"Mom, I know what you're thinking, and no, I am not turning gay for her," Natsuki said firmly.

_Darn! _"That's not what I was thinking at all." Saeko immediately crossed out that option from the list of courses-of-action-to-take she was scribbling on her hand.

Natsuki wasn't convinced. Her mother was one to think up crazy ideas.

"Well, you could always try and befriend her," Saeko suggested. "Who knows? Maybe you'll end up being best friends by the end of this trip."

Natsuki snorted. "Yeah, mom, I'm not becoming besties with someone that overuses _Ara_." There was a pause. "And besides… I'm just her escort. I doubt she'll want to have anything to do with me after this."

Saeko could detect the tinge of sadness that clouded her daughter's words. "Anyone who does not see a friend in you is a fool, Natsuki. I'm sure that if I were part of your generation, I would be your best friend."

"Mom, if you were part of my generation, I would be avoiding you," Natsuki jested.

"Ikezu," Saeko pouted, returning the joke.

"Ick a what?"

"You'll be hearing it soon enough," Saeko said with a snicker, to which Natsuki only frowned at.

Saeko checked her digital watch. "Natsuki, you're still in Tokyo, right? It's almost time for your flight. I'm sorry for holding you up."

"Ah, no, it's okay, you only took about five minutes of my life," Natsuki assured. "I'll see you when I get back, okay, mom?"

"Of course," Saeko said, grinning. "Be sure to send me some pictures of your new friend—oops—I mean, client."

"Wait, what do you—?"

Her mother had already hung up, though. And it was blatantly obvious that she had let herself slip-up on purpose. What was this woman trying to accomplish?

Natsuki decided not to dwell on the thought for much longer than necessary and casually strode over to where she had left Shizuru after stuffing her phone back into her jean's pocket.

"Welcome back, Kuga-han," Shizuru greeted. She held out both the plane tickets to her. "It's gate B19."

"Cool," Natsuki said, taking her respective ticket and leaving the other one for her client. "It's a good thing we're already by the B gates. We only have about 15 minutes left."

"Then we must hurry, yes?" Shizuru said in her dulcet tone, smiling.

"Yeah," Natsuki confirmed. "Come, help me look for our gate number."

And with that, the girls walked down the B gates corridor, looking for gate B19.

- - -

"Final call for passengers of flight 6457, please board now."

Came the informative voice from the intercom of gate B19.

Natsuki tugged at Shizuru's hand even harder to get her to run faster. There was almost no one left at the gate's waiting area, except for the passengers awaiting the next flight that would also depart from gate B19. Natsuki stopped hastily, and then flashed her ticket and Shizuru's in front of the counter lady's face.

_Whoa, down, girl, _the lady thought, though keeping her smile in place and directing her hand to the jet bridge. "Have a nice flight."

With that said, Natsuki and Shizuru practically flew through the bridge and into the plane. No pun intended.

"What seat number do we have?" Natsuki asked Shizuru, who was following behind her.

"12A and 12B," Shizuru said. "How fortunate, I get the window seat!

Natsuki was about to make a witty remark at that, but before she could, she bumped into someone.

That someone, as she turned around, began reproaching, "Hey, lady, watch it!"

"Not _my _fault your ass decided to stand the—_gasp_!"

Natsuki stared into the eyes of the young delinquent she had met at the gift shop.

"YOU!" Natsuki said accusingly.

"Well, if it isn't _my hero~_!" Nao sneered.

"You're in this flight?" Natsuki asked incredulously. She was honestly hoping that their meeting at the gift shop was their first and last.

"Yup," Nao confirmed. She glanced down at Natsuki's ticket. "12B? I'm seat 13B. Hey, looks like I'm right behind you!"

Natsuki opened her mouth to retort but one of the flight attendants came to break it up.

"Excuse me, we're about to take-off, so please place your carry-on in one of the compartments above and take a seat," she said sternly.

Nao smirked Natsuki's way and left to take her seat two seats behind her and Shizuru.

Shizuru only saw part of the exchange between the two, but she dismissed the encounter as being one of those "Oh, excuse me for bumping into you. No, I insist, it's _my _fault. No, _mine._ I said it was my fault and mine alone, dammit!!" kind of exchanges.

She took her seat by the window and marveled at the mechanics and process it took to get the plane moving. Natsuki slouched into her seat soon after, and buckled up, reminding Shizuru to do the same.

_She's in this flight too, _Natsuki thought grumpily. _Great. Just… awesome... _

_11 hours and 18 minutes of __**this **and _**_that_**... _Someone shoot me, finish me off with a knife, and bury my body in poop. _

_

* * *

_There's chapter two. Thank you so much for all your reviews, everyone. It really made me happy. Not to mention, it made me work faster. I hope the second chapter still keeps you interested in the story. As for the ShizNat.. Oh, it's coming alright. I'd really appreciate the feedback :3!


	3. Chapter 3

**TOKYO—11:30 a.m. Today / LOS ANGELES—7:30 p.m. Yesterday**

Natsuki stopped slouching after getting scolded by the flight attendant to sit up straight since they were about to take off. Shizuru only giggled faintly at Natsuki's quick, clumsy repositioning in the seat. Nao snickered silently from behind.

The passengers perceived a very light recoil before the airplane began to move forward. The display screens on the back of the passenger seats instantly turned on to play the Airline Safety Video, which was in Japanese with English subtitles.

"_Welcome aboard, and thanks for flying with us. We're committed to making your flight safe and comfortable. So before we depart, we'll show you a brief safety presentation. It can help you if there's an emergency, so pay close attention, even if you are a frequent flier. _Wink._"_

A wink. Did the video pilot really just wink at his passengers? He wasn't even that attractive. These thoughts haunted Natsuki's mind throughout the rest of the video.

Meanwhile, Shizuru ignored the safety video and instead regarded the airfield as the plane rode on. She leaned in closer to the window to broaden her view and then glanced back at Natsuki only to see the girl watching the safety video with a clearly bored expression.

"_Your mobile phones and other electronic devices should be turned off. Once airborne, we'll let you know when you can use approved electronic devices. But note that some items, such as phones, may not be used in flight at any time… "_

Nao, right behind the other two, mumbled out a disgruntled curse and pulled out her phone, turning it off.

"_If you're seated at an emergency exit, please review the responsibilities of emergency exit seating on the back of your safety information card, which is in your seat pocket…"_

Natsuki, at hearing this part of the video, recalled that Nao sat right behind her. Wasn't there an emergency exit by that row? And if an emergency occurred and aforementioned girl sat there…

_Oh, we're doomed, _Natsuki thought with despair.

Shizuru estimated that there was still a few more minutes left until the video concluded, so she chose this time to inspect the layout of the plane.

Needless to say, all passengers' seats' headrests were equipped with small TV touch screens for entertainment throughout the flight. The aircraft's fuselage was wide-bodied, with two aisles and a block of seats between them in addition to the ones on the side. There were about fifty rows in total, with nine seats per row. Shizuru and Natsuki sat very close by the left wing of the plane.

"_Now, before we take off, be sure your seat is upright and locked, your tray table is put away, and all carry-on items are properly stowed. As we come through the cabin for our final safety checks, please let us know if you have any questions. Thanks for your attention. Enjoy your flight!"_

The screens all powered off at the exact same time.

Natsuki was glad that was done and over with. The relentless smile the flight hostess in the video wore was beginning to creep her out. Really, for a second it looked like it was stuck there.

The plane made a final turn, and then hit the turbines, gaining speed profusely. This sent most passengers deep into their seats.

Shizuru turned to Natsuki and tapped her shoulder.

"Hmm?"

"Kuga-han," Shizuru said, her tone low and trying hard to suppress the excitement it wanted to spill. "We're about to take off."

It was Natsuki's first time seeing Shizuru lose a bit of her cool, but when she wasn't being all high and mighty, she was actually pretty cute. Particularly now, since she wore a very child-like smile as she turned back to the window to watch the outside scenery blur in rapid succession. Natsuki couldn't help but smile, either.

Then, there was a moment in which gravity seemed to have been lost, and Natsuki felt her stomach float within herself.

_It must suck to be in space, _Natsuki thought with dread.

To Shizuru, though, it was the best feeling. She liked the peculiar queasiness the take-off provoked.

Then it felt as though the airplane was accelerating up a slope with as much speed as though it were skiing downwards from it, often encountering mounds of snow that incited turbulence. But that only made it all the more exciting for Nao.

Now she really wished she had gotten a window seat, too.

Natsuki was relieved that the turbulence was settling and the plane was straightening, much to the dismay of the other two girls. One of the most exciting parts of plane riding was over.

Shizuru continued to stare out the window with a smile on her face. Nao, in the back, pressed a bored font. And Natsuki stared at the blank screen in front of her.

A few more minutes of silence stretched before the TV's clicked back on and one of the stewardesses, a girl with short raven hair, stepped forward.

"Passengers, we are now on air."

Dot. Dot. Dot.

"…Get it? On air? Since we're on a plane... and flying—"

Another one of the stewardesses, one with long, lacy brown hair, immediately showed and took the other's place.

"Forgive her. She's new. Anyhow, the use of approved electronic devices is now allowed. Thank you for your attention."

The two attendants retired, the brunette chastising her friend with a "Dammit, Chie, you're not a stand-up comedian, do you want to get us fired?"

"With you here, Aoi, I'm already fired up~!"

Suggestive grin.

Ear pulling.

"Owie!!"

The voices faded as the distance increased.

"Wasn't the take-off just delightful, Kuga-han?" Shizuru commented after the hostesses had gone.

"Eh? Um, yeah, sure it was," Natsuki quickly replied.

"My, but Kuga-han doesn't sound so jubilant," Shizuru expressed, jutting out her bottom lip slightly.

_Oh, crap, no displeasing your client! _

"L-let's try this again," Natsuki suggested. She straightened up and beamed at Shizuru. "It was great! Wonderful! Exciting!" _Insert other synonyms here…_

Shizuru waved her hand dismissively and chuckled. "Kuga-han is so entertaining. She doesn't have to force herself to pretend for me, though."

"Err… sorry," Natsuki muttered, averting her gaze from Shizuru and returning it to her lit screen.

"My favorite part of flying is the take-off and landing, since throughout the flight it feels as though our position remains constant," Shizuru shared.

"But the Earth is round, right?"

"Exactly, so though we don't really sense it, we're actually flying in a curve," Shizuru explained. "This world is filled with wonders…"

"Yeah, like how this piece of heavy metal is flying in the first place," Natsuki said. "I mean, I can't even keep a leaf or paper plane in the air for too long, so how is _this _possible?"

"Ara, I'm afraid I can't provide Kuga-han with a satisfying answer, since I'm not very familiar with Aerodynamics," Shizuru confessed.

"…I thought the field was Aeronautics?" Natsuki replied.

"Aerodynamic is the study of air in motion and how it interacts with an object," Shizuru explicated. "Aeronautics is the study, design, and manufacturing of an airborne machine."

"…TomEIto, TomAto, same thing," Natsuki concluded with a dismissive shrug.

Shizuru only demurely chuckled.

"Are you seriously discussing useless trivia?" a voice piped up from behind their seats, startling the two.

Shizuru was the first to recover. "Ara, I was only trying to strike up some friendly conversation."

"Who are you to be questioning us anyway?" Natsuki growled to the back of her seat.

"I'm the lucky girl that gets to listen to your trivial chat for 11 hours," the voice said cynically.

"You're just jealous 'cause you've got no one to talk to," Natsuki jeered.

The girl was about to retort, but after checking the seats at her opposite sides, and seeing that one of them had an old lady already asleep and the other a man listening to his ipod, she gritted her teeth and instead replied with "It's not like I want to talk to anyone. It's a waste of time."

"You mean it's a way to _pass_ time," Natsuki corrected.

"There would be nothing to lose," Shizuru then said. "After all, we _are_ going to be in this plane for quite a while."

"Don't remind me…" the girl mumbled with distaste.

"Ara, Passenger-in-the-back-seat-han, what might your name be?" Shizuru asked.

There was a short moment of silence.

"Nao."

"Just Nao?" Natsuki questioned.

The redhead glared at Natsuki's seat, thought not very satisfied since the girl couldn't see her. "Yuuki… Yuuki Nao."

Natsuki grinned. She finally knew the delinquent's full name.

"I am Fujino Shizuru," the brunette said. "Nice to meet you." There was another moment of silence. It was sort of awkward since at this time, after the introductions, the two would shake hands or something. But a seat was blocking them so…

"Yuuki-han, I'm afraid I can't maintain my current position for too long, would you care to join Kuga-han and I up front?" Shizuru politely offered, pointing to the third seat in her column row, though Nao couldn't see it.

Natsuki's eyes widened like saucers. "What!? You've got to be kidding!" Natsuki instantly turned to her right and found a little boy playing with his action figure. "Th-there's a kid here, so we can't just tell him to move. His mom, wherever she is, might get mad."

"My, Kuga-han has made an important point," Shizuru said. "I suppose we can't—"

"Watch me."

Nao rose from her seat and, being as slim as she was, skittered past her right-side seat companion without making contact.

Once out in the narrow aisle, she sauntered over to the little boy beside Natsuki and tapped him on the shoulder. The little boy turned to face her with a wondering expression.

"Hey, sweetie, mind switching seats with me?" Nao said in an uncharacteristically amiable tone. She smiled.

The boy blushed. "I-I'll switch seats with Pretty Girl."

"Aww, thanks!" Nao, nicknamed Pretty Girl, said before ruffling the boy's hair and stepping aside for him to move.

After making sure the boy settled into her old seat, Nao fell into her new one.

"And that's how it's done," Nao said victoriously. "Seriously, kids are so easy."

"What if it'd been a little girl instead?" Natsuki challenged.

"…Same approach," Nao said dismissively. "I mean, look at me. Who _wouldn't _want to give up their seats for me?"

"I'm right here," Natsuki replied.

"You got a crappy seat anyway," Nao jeered.

Natsuki glowered. "Take that back!"

"Ara, Kuga-han, we shouldn't be rude to our new"—Shizuru pondered for a bit—"flight companion."

She didn't want to say "friends" right away, since she didn't want to pressure the new girl into the position when they'd only just met.

"So there you have it, I'm your new flight companion." Nao smirked.

Natsuki narrowed her eyes dangerously at her, and then checked her watch.

_Ugh, fudge-nugget!_

**TOKYO—12:30 p.m. Today / LOS ANGELES—8:30 p.m. Yesterday**

"So… the other day I ate some coal, and you'll never guess what came out of me today. Go on, guess."

"Why are you telling us this!?" Natsuki asked incredulously. She didn't want the delinquent to make her client uncomfortable.

"It's called an ice-breaker, stupid," Nao said, and then returned to her playful grin.

"I suppose it'd be a diamond, yes?" Shizuru chimed in.

"Yeah!" Nao laughed.

_What the—it doesn't bother her?_ Natsuki thought, startled. A part of her, though, was glad that it didn't. Since, quite frankly, she was into these kind of silly jokes, too.

"So you are going to spend the summer in L.A.?" Nao suddenly asked.

Natsuki immediately became wary of Nao. Her mother taught her that divulging personal information was irresponsible and dangerous and therefore should be avoi—

"No, the destination's Europe," Shizuru revealed simply.

_So much for precaution, _Natsuki thought dejectedly.

"Oh, Europe, fancy~!" Nao drawled out. She then turned back to Natsuki. "How about you?"

Natsuki arched an eyebrow and pointed at Shizuru. "What do you mean? She just told you where."

Nao blinked. "Oh, I thought you were just strangers sitting next to each other. So you're together then?"

"Yeah, we're together," Natsuki responded firmly.

Nao grinned knowingly. "So, traveling to Europe, the continent of love, for a summer romance?"

"Yup, that's pretty much it," Natsuki replied casually.

Shizuru's mouth slightly drooped at how relaxed Natsuki seemed while answering these questions.

"I knew it! You guys are a couple, huh!" Nao smirked.

"Well, we _are _two people, so I guess that makes us a couple," Natsuki reasoned, tilting her head to the side.

Nao face-palmed. Shizuru cleared her throat and spoke up. "Ara, Kuga-han, I think Yuuki-han means it in the sense that we're romantically involved."

After processing what her client just said, Natsuki's jaw dropped and she flailed her arms frantically to deny all the crap she just said.

"NO, NO, WAIT, FORGET EVERYTHING YOU HEARD! I DIDN'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT! I WAS JUST ANSWERING FOR HER"—she motioned to the tawny-haired heart-throb—"SHE'S THE ONE LOOKING FOR LOVE, NOT ME!"

"Ara… love?" Shizuru reiterated.

Natsuki turned to Shizuru. "That's what you're going to Europe for, right? Looking for a partner?"

"You guys are _not _together then?" Nao said, trying to understand.

"Yes," Natsuki firmly said, turning back to Nao.

"So you _are_."

"No!"

"You're not?"

"Yes!"

"You are!"

"Okay, this is getting us nowhere!" Natsuki finally said.

"Ara, but I'm glad Kuga-han had enough interest in me to learn the reason for this trip," Sizuru said gleefully.

The bluenette glanced at Shizuru from the corner of her eye and sighed. "Well, yeah, I mean, I couldn't just agree to travel halfway around the world without knowing what for, right?"

Shizuru's amused expression gradually vanished and turned a bit more serious, but her enigmatic smile remained in place. "Yes, my parents have dictated that I am to find… love… in Europe. I've managed to avoid having to do it in the past, but apparently I couldn't get away this time…" She shrugged charmingly.

"So you're going to Europe because your parents want you to find someone to marry?" Natsuki said, trying to process the new information.

"Well, it was actually my idea," Shizuru said.

"What—getting engaged?" Nao asked.

"No, going to Europe," Shizuru replied bluntly.

"With your looks, though, I doubt anyone in their right mind would refuse you," Nao said, leaning a bit past Natsuki to scrutinize Shizuru's being.

The girl in between the two took this time to do the same thing, placing her left hand below her chin. "Hmm, true."

The heiress feigned a shy-away and said, "Ara, when you two look at me like, it makes me feel a bit…" She trailed off, leaving the girls' wonderful imaginations to fill the empty slot.

Needless to say, many bawdy words analogous to others came to fill the blank.

Natsuki, feeling the need to protect her client, immediately averted her ogling eyes and pushed Nao back into her seat.

"Sorry for staring," she muttered, bashfully apologetic.

"Ara, I never said you couldn't," Shizuru replied playfully, reassuring her escort that she did nothing wrong.

Up until now they hadn't noticed, but one of the flight attendants was standing right by their row.

"Hello there, bab—ladies, what would you like to drink this morning?" the ebony-haired woman asked

"Oh, my, I do believe it's not morning anymore, considering we're past one p.m.," Shizuru corrected.

"Do forgive my misconception!" said the hostess, feigning shock. "Let me try this again." She straightened up and flashed them a smile that twinkled. "Good afternoon, my charming ladies, would you be interested in a drink?"

"Chie," a stern voice came from the second aisle in the plane, "you don't need to add those extra words to the service line."

"Hey, at least I said the lines this time," said a grinning Chie, raising her voice a little so that her work mate could hear her.

"Smile, give them a drink, and walk away," Aoi replied with a frown, and then returned to her passengers to display a glowing façade.

"Yes, ma'am!" Chie said clearly. She turned back to her own line of passengers. "We got it, you name it!"

"You've got vodka?" Nao was first to speak up.

"Your age?"

"Never mind."

Natsuki held in a chuckle. "I'd like some Sprite." Her eyes fell on the red-head. "Just get her some coke and…" Natsuki realized that she didn't know what Shizuru wanted, and she turned to her beauty of a client to ask, "W-what would you like to drink?"

"Some iced tea will be fine," Shizuru said to the stewardess.

"Coming right up!"

In a few seconds, Chie handed the three their respective drinks.

"Oh, could I have some ice?" Shizuru later asked.

Chie's eyes widened. "Oh, how stupid of me! I forgot to put _ice_ in the _iced _tea!"

Dot. Dot. Dot.

"You were the one that pulled that 'on air' joke, weren't you?" Nao accused.

"Ha ha ha, you heard that?" Chie laughed, almost embarrassed, as she took the cup from Shizuru's hand. "What can I say? I'm a sucker for puns."

"Yeah, I can see that," Nao said dully. "Could I get the ice taken _out _of my drink?"

"Anything for you two," Chie said, performing a double-wink for Nao and Shizuru.

Natsuki's eyebrow twitched.

_Did that chick just hit on my client? _Natsuki thought, aggravated.

Before she could do anything about it, though, the same voice that scolded Chie without fail came to reproach her again.

"Chie, move on! There are other passengers, you know!" Aoi reminded, already three seats ahead of her partner.

Chie winced and grinned at her line of passengers. She handed the drinks back to the two girls and said, "Beauty calls!"

And she rushed to the next row of passengers and closer to her agitated girl friend.

**TOKYO— 1:30 p.m. Today / LOS ANGELES—9:30 p.m. Yesterday**

The three passengers had folded down the tray tables from the back seat in front of them. There they placed their drinks.

"We've already stated where we're going, but I don't recall Yuuki-han telling us where she's going?" Shizuru said, raising her intonation at the end to indicate it was a question and not just a feel-free-to-pass-it-off comment.

Nao casually picked up her coke, sipped from it, and then placed it back down. "Well, I'm on this plane, aren't I?"

"So it's safe to assume for it to be Los Angeles?" Shizuru questioned.

"That's where I'm going right now, yeah," Nao replied dismissively.

"What are you going to do there?" Natsuki asked.

"I'm a photographer," Nao began. "I get paid for taking pictures of hot—places, so I get to travel."

"Hmm, how much?" Natsuki queried, suddenly interested. She'll need a job once she got out of college, so it wouldn't hurt to get more information on this one, right? Besides, if it suited her tastes, she still had time to change her major.

"Why—wondering if I'm loaded?" Nao asked, not bothering to hide her knowing smirk. She glanced at Shizuru. "Hey, you better guard your pockets. Your escort's a little treasure digger."

"W-what!?" Natsuki growled out indignantly. "That's not true! I was just wondering how good of a job being a photographer was!"

"Well, if you want a well-paying job, why not try your hand at being a model for your client over there?" Nao then suggested, focusing the spotlight on the girl sitting by the window.

Shizuru feigned ignorance and cocked her head faintly to the side. "Ara, care to elaborate, Yuuki-han?"

"Come on, did you really think I wouldn't recognize a 'Fujino'? That last name must be known throughout the whole world," Nao said, broadening her gesticulations to emphasize her point. "Being the one selling over millions of modeling magazines and having agencies under its name spread out all over the globe. Pretty hard to miss."

Natsuki gulped. _So __**that's **__how much of a big deal Shizuru is?_

Shizuru seemed unfazed by the redhead's overcompensating depiction of her soon-to-be company. Not that it was exaggerated in the least, because that was an exact equivalent to how her corporation should be described. She wasn't very fond of boasting, though, so she often belittled the exceptional accomplishments of her business to the most credible range, only to be corrected by others and further praised.

"Why, I am very honored to have someone such as Yuuki-han recognize me," Shizuru said with an even voice. "And if Kuga-han ever applies to become one of the models at my parents' company, I'll be sure to express my recommendations."

Natsuki smiled kindly. "Thanks, it's good to know I have a last resort."

"Last resort?" Shizuru's countenance displayed perplexity.

Natsuki grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of her head. "Well, being a model is not exactly what I see myself doing after graduating college."

"Yeah, neither is being a photographer, but life's a bitch, huh?" Nao commented.

"I thought you _liked _being a photographer?" Natsuki spat incredulously, quirking an eyebrow.

"You take what you get." Nao shrugged.

Natsuki cleared her throat harshly. "As I was saying, Shi—err—Fujino, I'm sure you'll have a lot of models that would be way better than me once you become owner. I really wouldn't be much of a loss."

Shizuru released a subtle frown. "Kuga-han shouldn't deprecate herself. She is very beautiful, more so than many of my models. She appears most… natural."

_What am I being compared to a pine tree? _the dense Natsuki thought, a little offended.

"Oh, you mean the make-up?" Nao piped up. "I agree. You must be the heiress then, right? Once you become owner, you should totally lay off the cosmetics on the models. Not that much though, you don't want them to end up looking like _that_." She finished voicing her opinion with a conspicuous finger directed at Natsuki.

"I'm. Right. Here," Natsuki said through gritted teeth.

"Whatever do you mean, Yuuki-han? I think _that_ is pretty cute," Shizuru said with a light chuckle.

Natsuki pouted, but decided not to counter her client. She didn't want to cause her mother any trouble.

"But _that's _right," Nao then said. "You could get the best models in the world, with that fortune of yours. Which leads me to this, why are you flying with us commoners? I mean, don't you have your own private jet? Or you could have at least taken the first or business class, right? Why bother taking an economy class seat?"

"Yuuki-han is certainly full of questions," Shizuru said, amused.

"Which will have to be answered later, since I'm serving meals right now," Chie's voice came to intercede in the conversation.

"Oh, cool, what do you have?" Nao said, ears perking up.

"Whatever you're willing to pay for," Chie responded smoothly, handing her a menu. "We've got three boxes coming with different meals and prices. Choose either A, B, or C."

"I'll go with C" was the delinquent's immediate response. She then handed the menu to the other two.

"But you didn't even look at it," Chie said meekly, puzzled. "Are you sure?"

"C's always a good letter to pick when given multiple choices, so I'll trust my judgment."

Chie smirked evilly in delight. "Your wish is my command." She lowered herself to pull out meal C from her cart and handed it to Nao. She then glanced over at the other two passengers that were still looking over the choices.

"I suppose I'll go with choice A."

"You're going to go with the vegetarian meal?" Natsuki questioned incredulously.

"Might there be a problem?" Shizuru replied, her tone carrying a bit of defiance and hinting a… challenge?

_Why does her voice sound like fingernails scratching a board all of a sudden? _Natsuki thought, a little fearful.

"N-nothing at all!" the bluenette quickly assured. "I-In fact, I think I'll go with meal A, too!"

_For the mayo, of course_, she thought, knowing that the other meals didn't offer the condiment, but she would never admit that.

"Got it," Chie said, and then repeated her earlier action, though this time pulling out two boxes containing meal A.

They paid.

"Enjoy your meals, my ladies," she said with her most enchanting smile.

And then she left.

**TOKYO— 2:30 p.m. Today / LOS ANGELES—9:30 p.m. Yesterday**

Nao's eye twitched.

"Are. You. Serious!?" she cried in disbelief at the sight of her box C meal.

"Aw, it's so tiny and cute," Natsuki cooed, suppressing a laugh.

"My, it _is _a kid's meal, so I don't find it that surprising," Shizuru joined in.

"Well, you _are _kind of short so—"

"Shut your hole!" Nao warned angrily.

"It was Yuuki-han whom ordered the meal, so I don't think she's in any place to complain," Shizuru reminded.

"Which proves C's not always the right choice," Natsuki said prudently.

"I swear I'm going to stuff that lettuce down your throat if—"

"Itadakimasu~!" Shizuru deliberately interrupted, and then she began to eat.

"You should start digging in, too," Natsuki said impishly. "Unless you want to trade with that little boy behind you first?"

"Very funny"— _What was her name…?_ —"Natsuki."

Natsuki's eyes widened in surprise, and Shizuru blinked in her direction. When did Natsuki ever introduce herself to the other girl? And if they'd just met, why were they already on a first-name basis? And what bugged Shizuru the most…

_Even I have yet to address her by her first name, _Shizuru finished her thought petulantly.

Natsuki and Shizuru weren't the only ones startled by what Nao had said, since aforementioned girl was too. She couldn't help but feel a little awkward after calling out her name when she was supposedly mad at her. It really just killed the effect it was supposed to have on the object of her insults. But the college-bound student hadn't provided her with another, so it couldn't be helped.

_What does this mean? That I should call her by her first name, too? But we're still strangers and I don't trust her! Besides, I already have her last name so I can go both ways. But wouldn't it be impolite to call her by her last name if she's used my first? Ugh, Natsuki, you're over thinking things. Just go with the shorter of the two—Nao. Yeah, it'll save me about a millisecond of my time every time I call out to her. And in this lifetime, I could probably save about a day's time. Cool. Nao it is, then._

She nodded to herself, a way to seal her inner agreement.

The redhead quirked an eyebrow at this.

"Are you talking to yourself in your mind?" Nao asked with slight amusement.

"W-what, no, I'm not!"

"You _so _were! Freak!" Nao laughed.

"Shut up"—_here goes nothing_—"Nao."

It was Nao's turn to be surprised.

And that was it for Shizuru. It was one thing for someone to call _her _escort by her first name, but for her escort to do so in return just hurt! She had known her flight companion for about an hour longer than she had Nao, so didn't she have the privilege of calling the bluenette by her first name, too? She was a bit envious of Nao for having enough courage to sail the unstable waters of calling someone by their first name without permission. Apparently, she had managed to finish the trip successfully by getting Natsuki to sail on those waters, as well.

And now, she felt like the outsider.

Oh, curse her manners! Without them, she'd be calling her escort by the first name, too.

Nao cleared her throat awkwardly and turned her attention past Natsuki to a pensive heiress.

"So, Fujino"_—like hell I'd risk calling a powerful woman by her first name_—"What type of guys are you into?"

Shizuru was snapped out of her thoughts and she blinked. "Pardon?"

"Well," she began, taking a bit out of her mini burger, "you're going to Europe to find a partner, right? So do you have a type in mind? Or are you just going to grab the first person you see?"

Shizuru utilized the time Nao spent talking to compose herself and ponder over the question. "It's not that I'm searching for a particular character in a person, or that I'd want to be searching for that someone, either way. My parents just want to leave me in the hands of someone whom I'll be able to love and will reciprocate my feelings."

"Your parents sure care for you," Natsuki opinioned. "But why not just get a dog? If they want you in good hands, a dog works the same way. They're faithful, loyal, strong, protective, and love you unconditionally. There's the whole packet right there."

Shizuru blushed at her next sentence. "My parents also said they'd very much like mini heirs."

Natsuki took a moment to process this, and her face immediately flushed. "O-oh, now I get why that won't work out…Forget I said anything."

"Hey, if you're into bestiality, I'm not judging," Nao jeered.

"Let me cut that quick tongue of yours!" Natsuki snarled out.

"Please quiet down over here," Chie came in. "I'm getting a lot of complaints from other passengers about this particular column row."

"My, do forgive us, we're easily excitable," Shizuru covered.

Chie leaned in a little closer to the three. "Like, I don't have a problem, 'cuz I sit all the way up front and can't hear a thing, but if I don't do anything about this, it's so going to be deducted from my paycheck. So stay quiet a while and make it look like I did my job, okay?"

The three nodded in understanding.

"Cool," Chie said, returning her formerly low voice to normal. She cleared her throat and said a bit louder, "And I hope I don't get anymore complaints about you guys during the rest of the flight!"

"Of course not."

"Yeah, we totally got the point!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Chie nodded, and then promptly left down the aisle.

The girls resumed their conversation, but keeping their voices reasonably lower now.

"So, you never really answered the question. _Do _you have a type?" Nao prodded.

"I've never had a crush, nor have I ever been in love, so I'm unable to say exactly what _type _of people I'm attracted to, as you so put it," Shizuru replied honestly. "How about Yuuki-han?"

"Me?" Nao didn't even take a second to think before responding. "I go for the handsome, rich, and pure. It's fun corrupting and mooching off of them."

"Ara, everyone has their tastes, I suppose," Shizuru then commented.

"You say you like mooching off of them because it's fun, but haven't you ever felt anything other than amusement for them?" Natsuki asked.

The redhead placed a pensive finger by her chin and gave the question some thought. "Nope. Not really. I've never actually seriously dated any of them because of love."

"Then that settles it," Natsuki concluded. "You don't know your type, either, since you've never been in love, or had a crush, or whatever."

Nao scowled. "Oh, what are you, the love sage?"

The escort shrugged. "Not really. I just think that what Fujino said was true. If you've never loved anyone, you can't know what type of people you're attracted to. Same goes for me, since I don't know whom I like, either."

"Ara, Kuga-han has never been in love?" Shizuru asked, though a very small part in her being that she wasn't even aware of was placated with subtle relief. "My, then you must be quite the heart breaker."

"I'd say the same to you, Fujino," Natsuki said with a playful grin. "I'm sure you've had many people after you the moment you hit puberty."

"My, is Kuga-han trying to say that I was ugly during my childhood?" Shizuru questioned humorously.

Natsuki instantly became frantic. "What? No! That's not what I meant at all! You're really beautiful now, so as a child, you must have been very cute! There's a difference!"

_Yes, compliment her. It's not good to offend one of the most influential men in the world's daughter! _Natsuki thought, trying to ameliorate her former mistake.

"Why, Ookini, Kuga-han, I think you are quite the beauty yourself," Shizuru said, returning the compliment.

Nao pretended to gag and went back to her food. "Call me when you guys are done flirting."

**TOKYO— 3:30 p.m. Today / LOS ANGELES—10:30 p.m. Yesterday**

"Ugh, I'm boreeeeeeeed!" Nao complained, hanging her head back. "It's been what—like four hours already?"

"Oh, no worries, only seven hours and 18 minutes to go," Natsuki jested.

"If I had a pillow, I'd so hit you with it right about now."

Our three favorite passengers were now done with their meals and had discarded of them. They had asked for a refill of their drinks, though. The main monitor in the plane displayed the airplane's route, and they still had over 2478 miles to go before reaching Los Angeles. Nao wished she could just go and tell the pilots to hurry up, but she knew that wouldn't be wise to do if she didn't want to get kicked out of the plane while in flight, especially if she didn't carry a parachute with her. Besides, skydiving was never her thing.

_Hmm, thinking of pilots, _Nao thought, and then turned to her closest seat buddy. "Hey, don't you think it's weird they named the place where pilots do their flying thing the _cockpit_?"

Natsuki stifled a laugh. "Here I thought I was the only one that thought it sounded ridiculous."

"I know, right?" Nao laughed. "Hey, you want to play a game?"

"What kind of game?"

"A fun game."

"Is it hard?"

"Not if you know your ABC's."

"Alright, I'm in. How does it go?"

"We come up with a bad word for every letter of the alphabet."

"You're on!."

"Cool. Start!"

"**A**sshole," Natsuki said.

"**B**itch," followed by Nao.

"**C**untface."

"**D**ickhead."

"**E**xcuse me."

"**F**uc—huh?"

"Shi—Fujino!?" Natsuki's soul about detached itself from her body. "I-I thought you were sleeping!"

_I'msodeadI'msodeadI'msodeadI'msodead!_

"I was, until some harsh words woke me from rest," Shizuru said with a smile. "Why, I never knew my escort's vocabulary was vast enough to reach the dirtiest corners of our language."

"Aw, I was so game and you interrupted me," Nao mumbled out, peeved.

Which brought Natsuki to recall the last word leaving Nao's mouth during the final moments of their improper game.

"Hey, you swore at my client!" Natsuki accused, now turning the flashlight of guilt and exposure in Nao's direction.

"What?" Nao said skeptically. "I never swore at her! She said _Excuse me_ and I just got interrupted midsentence and said _Fuc—huh?_!"

"You said 'fuc her'!?" Natsuki gasped out, appalled and completely misinterpreting. "How dare you fuc my client right in front of me!"

"I did not fuc her! You should know that! You were just playing with me!"

"Yeah, I know I was playing with you, but bringing her into this was so uncalled for!"

"A-ara… please keep your voices down, spectators might misunderstand…" Shizuru politely intervened, trying her best to prompt them into silence, but failing miserably, since the two were already too riled up to stop.

"I didn't bring her into this! She barged in with her _Excuse me_!"

"Oh, one more word out of you and I'm soooo—!"

"—kicking you out of this plane," Aoi's glacial voice completed. There was a little vein comically popping out of her temple. "Now, please, I suggest you do as your friend said and keep your voices down because I don't want the other passengers to be disturbed."

And at this, Chie came into the scene to supposedly back up her work mate. "Yeah, like, I get that you're pissed about having the blue-haired chick just playing with you and want to get back at her by fuc'ing her girlfriend, but please _ground _your personal issues with each other once we _land_." Chie laughed at her own little joke. "See what I did there, Aoi? You know when we land, we hit the ground, and they have issues and—"

Aoi sighed and pulled her companion back down the aisle along with her. Love overlooks anything. Love overlooks anything. Love overlooks any—

_Oh, who am I kidding? _Aoi thought dejectedly. She would have a talk with her girl friend about these distracting jokes later during the flight.

**TOKYO— 4:30 p.m. Today / LOS ANGELES—11:30 p.m. Yesterday**

The main monitor's little plane icon had moved remarkably closer to its destination, but it was still a fair amount away from actually reaching it. Natsuki stared phlegmatically at said monitor with a lethargic spirit. Her opaque eyes, which reflected the monitor's rectangular light, were clouded with feelings of shame, embarrassment, confusion, and foolishness.

At the time of her argument with Nao, she genuinely believed she was doing the right thing by standing up for her client. She was so passionate about defending her that she was loosely inattentive to the evident innuendos her accusations were sealing with every word. That was the cause for all the emotions roused heretofore, for both Shizuru and herself. The maiden of scarlet gaze had not directed a word to her after the stewardesses' departure, and this disquieted Natsuki to no end, leading her to assume that her precious client was mad at her for her absurd actions.

Of course, said heroine was not in the least troubled or angry at her. She merely just thought that her escort needed some time to cool her head after all the blood that had rushed to her head and overwhelmed her when a very insensitive and oblivious Chie had revealed the underlying meaning behind her words to her.

Nao was used to stuff like this, so she just pulled out her ipod from her carry-on and played a song while she fiddled with her cup of coke, which she'd gotten a refill for. Again.

_Oh, gawd, I'm so stupid, _Natsuki mentally berated herself. _Okay, me, it's time for one of your internal pep talks. Which is kind of sad, in a way, having to console your own self. I'm glad people can't read minds, because I'd be sounding so ridiculous to a mind reader right about now. And, okay, this is not what I need! I'm supposed to be cheering myself up, not leading me further into depression! _

Though Natsuki's self-chat was quickly interrupted by Shizuru. "Kuga-han, there's something I need to say to you."

_Oh, no, she's going to fire me, _Natsuki thought with dread. _She'll be all like, 'This is not working out, so our contract ends today. I'm getting a new and hopefully more competent escort.'_

Shizuru took a deep breath and then looked at Natsuki right in the eyes. "Kuga-han, I'm sorry—"

"Y-you don't have to say it, I get it," Natsuki quickly interjected. "You don't have to be sorry about firing me."

Shizuru blinked. "Oh, dear, what I meant to say was that it was my fault—"

"No, no, it's not your fault, really," Natsuki, once again, cut in. "I mean, I don't blame you. After what happened, if I were you, I'd fire me, too. So I totally understand and I'm fine with it. Once we get to L.A. I'll cancel my flights, call you up a new escort, null our contract, and then—"

The heiress placed a finger atop her escort's lips to silence her babbling. "Ara, Kuga-han is getting ahead of herself. I never once said I was firing you. I was going to apologize to you. I feel that what transpired a moment ago was my fault. Had I not barged into your game, none of us would have gotten in trouble"

The bluenette was caught off-guard by her client's sudden apology. But she quickly recovered and began to deny everything she said. "What? No! It's not your fault! Nao and I shouldn't have started to play that stupid game anyway! You were doing the right thing by stopping us!"

Shizuru scrutinized Natsuki's demeanor for any hints of dishonesty, but she found none. "I do still feel the need to make it up to Kuga-han, though. How about I let you two resume your game?"

Natsuki laughed and Nao paused her ipod to listen in on the conversation.

_Oh, wait, she's not kidding, _Natsuki realized.

"Y-you're serious?" Natsuki questioned, bewildered.

"Very much so," Shizuru affirmed. "However, I will not allow the use of profanity so lightly, so there'll be one small change in the game…"

After Shizuru explained, the other two began playing their game.

"**A**…**A**wesome…"

"**B**…ugh...**B**eautiful."

"**C**h—**c**harming…"

"**D**elightful…"

"**E**ntertaining."

"…**F**unny."

"**G**-**g**orgeous…?"

"…**H**ilarious?"

"**I**…**I**…**I **can't do this anymore!!" Nao finally snapped.

"Ara, I thought listing a complimenting word for every letter of the alphabet was a very positive twist to make to the game," Shizuru said innocently.

"Not when I have to compliment _that,_" Nao hissed, protruding a finger in a certain escort's direction.

"Yeah, I'm not very happy complimenting _this_, either," Natsuki retorted.

"Forget it, we're playing cards," Nao announced firmly, pulling out an Uno set from her carry-on.

**TOKYO— 5:30 p.m. Today / LOS ANGELES—12:30 a.m. Today **

The escort let out a frustrated grunt, and then slammed the twenty-one cards she'd accumulated throughout the Uno game onto the tray table.

"Not fair," she barked out. "You did something to those cards, didn't you!?"

"Wha'cha talking about, Na-tsu-ki?"—Shizuru subtly winced at hearing that—"The cards are totally harmless. Not _my _fault you suck at playing this game!"

The tray tables were still pulled out, and that's where the girls were playing their Uno game. Though, being as close to each other as they currently were, it was tempting and very hard to keep from peeking at the other player's cards. The escort, specially, had a hard time keeping her cards hidden while being in possession of the middle seat. Not once had she won a game. Out of five games so far, the photographer had claimed 2 and her client had claimed 3.

"Let's play again, this time, _I'm _shuffling," Natsuki declared, snatching everyone's cards hastily.

After messing the order of the cards enough times to satiate her livid pride, she handed seven cards to each player, including herself, and placed the remaining stack in the middle table, which was hers.

A few minutes into the game…

"Uno," Shizuru ringed out happily.

"_What_?" Natsuki bawled incredulously. "You've got to be kidding me! It's only been like five minutes!"

"Well, Kuga-han handed me some pretty efficient cards," Shizuru defended. "I owe it all to her."

"My turn," the redhead bluntly said, and she put down her very ineffective and average card.

Natsuki eyed both players warily and put down her own card, which was as useless as Nao's.

"My, then I suppose I win again," Shizuru cheerily said as she put down her last card, the killer 'draw +4.'

Natsuki slumped forward onto her table in defeat. Every time Nao shuffled, she won, and every time Shizuru shuffled, _she_ won. So Natsuki thought that if she were the one to shuffle this time, she would win a game with a miraculously fortunate hand. But no such luck.

"Hey, _you _shuffled this time," Nao reminded. "So you can't blame anyone for your loss. Admit it, you're just poop at this."

"Ara, Kuga-han shouldn't feel bad," Shizuru comforted, patting the pitiful loser's noddle lightly. "I, for one, _love _her shuffling."

Nao smirked and elbowed the escort mockingly. "Whoa, watch out, the girl's got a thing for your shuffling!"

Natsuki mumbled out a very disgruntled and incoherent response and Shizuru chuckled daintily.

Seeing how boring the college student was insisting on being. Nao turned her attention to the heiress.

"So, you never finished telling why you're traveling with us commoners," Nao said, changing the topic.

"Ara, I'd completely forgotten about that," Shizuru said pensively. "Well, I suppose I just don't want to be a burden to my parents by borrowing a private jet over such a trivial matter. First class and business class people need their space to relieve some of the stress the real world brings upon them. Why would I, someone who's just trying to find…_love_, take the seat of somebody who might need it for more important matters? Besides, it's not absolutely necessary for me to travel in luxury, and it also saves money."

Natsuki listened intently.

"But you've got all the money in the world, literally," Nao argued. "Why does it matter whether some poor, tired soul doesn't get a first or business class seat? I mean, if _I _were loaded, I wouldn't be wasting my time with you guys."

"Ara, it pains me to hear Yuuki-han admit that in such blunt manner," Shizuru said, feigning surprise and hurt with a hand to her chest. "Wouldn't—?"

"Hey, Fujino," Natsuki finally spoke, unfastening her seatbelt, folding her tray table back, and slowly rising from her seat. "Hey, um, I'm going to the restroom."

Shizuru nodded. "Ara, Natsuki doesn't need my permission to go, if that's what she's implying by telling me this."

Natsuki cleared her throat and looked down at Shizuru. "Um, no, I'm telling you this because… um… wanna come along?"

Dot. Dot. Dot.

The photographer's lips broke into a mischievous grin and Shizuru only blinked in surprise. Shizuru held Natsuki's gaze for a while longer and noticed a twinkle in it that was trying to relay another message.

"Oh, I see how it is," Nao said, standing up to let Natsuki get out of the row and into the aisle.

Shizuru smiled. "Of course." And she moved out, too, following Natsuki all the way back into the restroom.

Once there…

"Sorry for bringing you out here with me," Natsuki said, being a perfect gentle(wo)man and allowing her client to get the toilet seat while she just remained standing up. "I really needed a _private _word with you."

"Why, it _is _certainly cramped in here, and I suppose that makes it secretive enough, " Shizuru commented, placing herself as far from Natsuki as she could in order to give the girl some space.

The restroom stall had very limited room, and that was what made having two people stuffed in there all the more uncomfortable. Well, its rectangular prism-like structure wasn't built to sustain two people at the same time, so the girls were in no position to complain. The escort moved closer to the door and locked it, so that people outside would see the 'occupied' tab in display and thus avoid any unwanted interference.

Shizuru leaned closer to the sink and began, "So, what important matter did Kuga-han wish to discuss that she's dragged me all the way to the restroom and placed me in such awkward positioning?"

"I-I'm sorry," Natsuki murmured apologetically.

"I'm not upset," Shizuru assured, shooting an amused smile. "In fact, this is kind of exciting. I hope we don't get caught. Though facing the consequences would also be quite the thrill." Shizuru faintly giggled.

_Hah, Shizuru's not such a goody-goody it seems, _Natsuki noted with a devilish grin. Natsuki referred to her client in the first name only in her thoughts. "Well, uh, anyways. It's actually about Nao."

Shizuru inwardly scowled. She didn't have anything against the young photographer, but apparently seeing Natsuki use her given name when even _she_ hadn't progressed that far was indeed irking her.

"My, what have we got to discuss over Yuuki-han?" Shizuru asked. She didn't mind calling Nao by her last name. "Has Kuga-han taken a special interest in her?"

Natsuki snorted at the absurdity of that actually being the reason, and Shizuru's antsy emotions subsided.

"Far from that," Natsuki said, then immediately turned serious. "I want you to be wary of her. I don't trust her. She's just a stranger, after all. We've been sharing too much personal information, and we haven't gotten much in return, except for her maybe telling us that she's a photographer. For all we know, she could be one of those paparazzi trying to dig their heads into what doesn't concern them. Or she could be an assassin. Or even a bomb terrorist from a desolate land in Saudi Arabia that wants to—"

"Ara, let's not allow our imagination run away with us, Kuga-han," Shizuru quickly cut in, before the other girl began to fantasize more ludicrous possibilities. "But I do understand where Kuga-han is going with this. I'll heed your precaution and stop giving away much information. If I do, I'll try to make it false."

"I-I hope I haven't made you too paranoid, though," Natsuki said worriedly. "I mean, we won't be seeing her again after this flight so we'll be able to relax soon."

"Ara, when did Kuga-han become my bodyguard?" Shizuru queried, batting her eyelashes enchantingly.

Natsuki's cheeks were lightly tinted with carmine, and she huffed away. "I'm your escort. All applies."

Shizuru only smiled in response.

There was a knock at the door.

"Excuse me, sir or ma'am? You've been in there for quite a while, are you in any need of assistance? If not, it would be very refreshing for us if you unoccupied the stall soon."

The occupants' eyes darted to the door, Natsuki's held panic and Shizuru's held excitement.

"Ara, I wonder if we'll be punished?" the tawny-haired heartthrob wondered with a delighted chuckle.

_Damn it, this is no time to laugh, Fujino, _Natsuki thought desperately. "What are we going to do?"

"What else is there to do other than come out of the stall?"

Natsuki groaned. "Ugh, I was hoping you wouldn't say that. But I guess there's no other way out."

Natsuki mentally prepared herself for what was to come. She took in a deep breath and unlocked the door, then proceeded to pushing it open.

The occupants' eyes met with the ones of the stewardesses they'd now grown very familiar with.

"Well, lookie here," Chie drawled out teasingly, eyeing the bluenette's catch. "Never thought you'd be a member of the club."

Natsuki blinked, perplexed. "A member of what club?"

"Aw, don't pretend you don't know," the raven-haired hostess said. "It's the mi—"

Aoi slapped her hand onto her girlfriend's mouth, effectively shushing her. "Please return to your seats and disregard everything she's said."

"Um, okay…?" Natsuki said, unsure.

Shizuru rested her hands atop Natsuki's shoulders and led her down the narrow aisle. "I believe it's best we leave them be," she said with a smile.

Once the two were gone, Chie pulled her now surprisingly submissive girlfriend into the stall, whispering, "VIP members coming through!"

**TOKYO— 6:30 p.m. Today / LOS ANGELES—1:30 a.m. Today **

"Welcome back," Nao asked with a very irritating smirk. "How was it?"

"How was what?"

"Your trip."

"I didn't trip."

Nao wanted to slap some sense into the escort's head. "Ah, forget it, never mind."

Nao rose from her seat and into the aisle to let her seat partners through, and then she sat back down.

Natsuki watched her client position herself in the seat and then glance back at her. The two nodded at each other. They would not pay as much attention to Nao, and only talk to her when the topics were fairly detached and harmless, so as to not arouse any suspicion from the girl sitting by the aisle.

The bluenette looked around her vicinity, searching for something to entertain herself with. While performing this search, she found Shizuru once again in her line of sight, imprinting soft touches on the screen of the small tv she had on the backseat of the seat in front of her.

_Oh, yeah, I can't believe I forgot about that, _Natsuki thought, astounded with herself. She was a movie maniac (she could name many movies just by being given their description) so how could she have put off something such as movie viewing for later? It must have been because Nao and Shizuru were both so distracting. There was no other sensible explanation.

Natsuki held out her hand to the screen and touched it. It responded by displaying a menu that queried, "English or Japanese?"

Natsuki knew both languages, so she was fine with either one, but since they were heading for the United States, she chose English.

_Okay, so let's see, what do they have? _

Natsuki flipped through many channels, but they all had boring shows playing, so she gave up on channels and looked at the movie section. They were offering over 20 movies for viewing, but none of them seemed to catch her interest. She kept searching for a decent film, page after page, until she saw a canine on one of the thumbnail previews.

_Hachiko: A Dog's Tale, _Natsuki read in her mind. And the title was all she needed to be pushed into watching the movie.

**TOKYO— 7:30 p.m. Today / LOS ANGELES—2:30 a.m. Today **

_Sniff._

Shizuru's ears perceived the sound, even though working earphones currently covered them. The noise had been rather low in volume, so she figured it was a small interference in the headphones. Besides, she had stopped hearing it, so she dismissed it.

_Sob. Sniff._

There it was again. And as fast as it had come, it had gone. Should she pay it any heed? Nah…

_Sob. Sniff. Whimper._

The movie the brunette was watching did not contain a crying character at the moment, so the sound was definitely coming from within the plane.

Shizuru's head snapped to her right, and she found her escort regarding her respective TV screen with glassy eyes and quivering body. Shizuru's heart broke at seeing the girl in such vulnerable state, and not to mention, she had suddenly grown a bit panicky. Had she done something wrong? Why did Natsuki look like she was on the verge of crying?

"Na—Kuga-han," she said, quickly covering her slip-up, but allowing the concern to show in her voice. "Is something wrong?"

Natsuki heard Shizuru's voice through her headphones, not that there was anything blocking out her voice, either way, since the movie had already ended and only the credits were playing. She wiped her eyes really fast and coughed to clear her throaty voice.

"Y-yeah?" Natsuki said, trying to sound tough.

"Just now… were you…?" Shizuru was trying to find the best way to formulate her thoughts into words.

"N-no!" Natsuki denied curtly. "I mean… yeah… well, sort of… It was a sad movie."

Shizuru blinked. "Ara, a movie?"

Natsuki nodded. "You've heard the story of Hachiko, right? You know, that faithful dog that waited for his master at Shibuya station every day even after his master had died? Yeah, well, that was the movie. Though, they Americanized it."

"Oh, they Americanized it? I'm sorry, you must be very upset," Shizuru said sympathetically.

"No, no, I have nothing against the Americanization of it! At least they kept the real Japanese name, but that's not the point!" Natsuki said. "It's the plot. Since it was based off of a true story, it makes you sad."

"Ara, does Natsuki harbor a soft spot for puppies?" Shizuru teased.

"Do not!"

"Does so."

"Do not!"

"Does so."

"If you want to _do _it, just _do _it already!" Nao snapped, exasperated. She had been watching her own movie, only to be disrupted by her fellow passengers.

"I think the volume's a little too loud for ya," Natsuki snarled out. "Let me help you lower it!"

And she pressed the maximizing button.

"OUCH! SUNAVVA—!!"

Natsuki slapped her mouth closed. "Oops, sorry, wrong button," she said without a hint of remorse.

Nao glared at her.

"It's your fault for getting the wrong idea," Natsuki said, letting the other girl's mouth go and rubbing off the Neo germs from her hand with the help of her jeans. "We were just talking about a movie."

"Oh, yeah, I think I remember seeing you bawling your eyes out over that film just now," Nao said in a very fresh manner.

"I was not crying! Just got a little emotional!"

"Yeah, whatever, you so did."

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Oh, my, it's like watching a different version of _our _argument, Kuga-han!" Shizuru commented giddily.

Natsuki huffed.

"Yeah, I think I'll go back to my movie now," Nao said dismissively, and put her earphones back on.

Shizuru and Natsuki engaged in some idle chat while the redhead finished watching the rest of her movie. It had lots of explosions and violent scenes, and the volume was so loud that the other two girls wondered how she hadn't gone deaf yet.

"So, Kuga-han likes movies?" Shizuru began.

"Hmm?" Natsuki said, turning from Nao to Shizuru. "Yeah, I love them!"

"Since Kuga-han is such a film enthusiast, I suppose she could number all the movies she's watched up until now?" Shizuru joked.

"904."

"Ara?"

"904. That's the exact total of how many movies I've seen so far. Well, at least I _think _that's about right, since I tried to get my mom to recall how many movies I watched when I was a kid. And she said about 25, so I sort of started my count from there."

Shizuru was only kidding when she made that remark, but apparently her escort took it seriously, producing an equally serious answer.

"What might be Kuga-han's favorite movie, then?" Shizuru asked.

"Hmm, hard to say, since I liked a lot of them, and many were in different genres," Natsuki said.

"Then how about Kuga-han's favorite genre?" Shizuru prodded.

"Maybe… action or mecha," the bluenette responded after some _serious _thought. "How about you?"

"While I do like action movies myself, I'm also a romantic, so I like to watch the amorous films," Shizuru shared. "Also, I'm into comedy."

"Oh, cool," Natsuki said. "So, if we ever found an action-filled romantic comedy with kick-ass robots, that'd totally be our movie, huh?"

"Probably so," Shizuru said with a smile. "If such film ever comes out, would Kuga-han be so kind as to accompany me to a movie theatre and watch it with me?"

Natsuki grinned cheekily. "Done deal. I'll even _escort _you there."

"My, then a date it is."

"Who knows when that date will be, though," Natsuki laughed, completely missing the _other _meaning of date.

"Ugh, excuse me while I throw up in the restroom," Nao said, pretending to gag and heading for the bathroom.

**TOKYO— 8:30 p.m. Today / LOS ANGELES—3:30 a.m. Today **

Natsuki restlessly bustled about in her seat and tapped her finger on the armrest impatiently. "What's taking her so long?"

"Why is Kuga-han so concerned?" Shizuru asked, closing the book she was reading and heeding her companion.

Natsuki's cheeks heated. "I… I sort of need the restroom."

"Oh." Shizuru decided to say no more. She felt a bit guilty now, having questioned the girl sharply like that.

A few more minutes passed and Natsuki grunted in annoyance. She abruptly stood up. "I'm going to check on her. Wait for me here."

"I doubt I can go anywhere else, Kuga-han," Shizuru quipped mirthfully.

"R-right." And the embarrassed bluenette left up the aisle.

_Stupid Nao, I've been holding it in for too long, _Natsuki thought angrily. _I swear I'm going to knock on that door, punch her, and drag her unconscious ass off the toilet seat and kick it out of the stall! _

And so, she proceeded with step one. She knocked on the door.

"You done yet?" she spat. "If you are, then get the hell out. I need to use the restroom. If you don't, I'm going to make a fuss and tell the flight attendants on you—whoa!"

The response she got was a swift hand snaking out of the door and pulling her into the compartment.

"OW! Gently, woman, _gently_," Natsuki said, massaging the mark of nails from her pained wrists.

"I wouldn't have had to do that if you hadn't been so loud out there," Nao countered. She had taken off her jacket and tossed it somewhere in the lavatory. Apparently, being in cramped spaces for too long made you hot.

"Why? What were you doing taking so long anyway?" Natsuki inspected the object Nao had in her hands, but the other girl was showing her back to her so she couldn't clearly make out what it was. "What's that?"

"You ask too many questions," Nao said.

"So do you," Natsuki replied.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You've been questioning Shizuru since the moment we got on this plane," Natsuki explained. "What's the deal?"

"I see you've gotten very familiar with her since I left," Nao said with a smirk. "On a first name basis already?"

_Oh, crap, did I really just call her Shizuru? _Natsuki thought with dread, but then returned to glaring at the shorter girl. "Shut up, just answer the question!"

"How am I supposed to answer the question if I shut up?"

Snarl.

Sigh.

"Fine, it was really nothing, just curious about the world's most popular heiress, that's all," Nao responded casually, then went back to her object.

"Yeah, like I'll believe that. I mean, I _do _believe it, but I think there's way more to your explanation than just that and—are you even listening to me!?"

She snatched the redhead's precious object from her and analyzed it. "A cell phone?"

"Hey, what's the big idea? Give it back!" Nao exclaimed, agitated.

"You made me hold it in so you could do whatever-it-was-that-you-were-doing with this cell phone? What's the point? There isn't even any reception all the way up here! And did you know that this thingy could interfere with radio navigation signals sent from air traffic controllers on the ground to get us to our destination? Are you trying to kill or delay us?"

"Hand. That. Over." Nao said through gritted teeth.

Natsuki huffed and shoved it back into Nao's hands. "Whatever. I don't care. Just finish whatever you were doing and get out so that I can take care of my business."

There was a knock on the door.

_Aw, just my luck! _Natsuki thought miserably.

"Excuse me, sir or ma'am? You've been in there for quite a while, are you in any need of assistance? If not, then it would be very refreshing for us if you unoccupied the stall soon."

_Is this Déjà vu or are they required to say that line to whomever takes too long in the restroom? _Natsuki wondered.

But then she remembered the situation she was currently and went back to panic-mode. She glanced desperately at Nao, who had made no signs of moving any time soon.

"Nao," she hissed, towering over the girl. "I can't be caught here with someone a second time! DO something!"

"Wow, there was a first time?" Nao whistled lowly. "Anyhow, there's a window up there."

"What are you implying?"

"… Throw yourself out the window and save your dignity but lose your life."

"HELL NO!" Natsuki shouted. "That window's fastened anyways."

"Miss? We can hear you in there," Aoi's voice resounded. "If you do not unlock the door in a few more minutes, I'll be forced to open it."

_I'm in deep shit!_

"We—I'll be right out!" Natsuki knew there was no point in lying, since the stewardesses would soon see that there were actually two people in the stall, but there was oddly something comforting about stretching out a false truth for a certain amount of time longer before coming out and facing the music.

"Hurry, shut your phone and let's get out of here," Natsuki hissed at the redhead.

Nao, though, had other plans. They were already in plenty enough trouble, so there was nothing wrong with having a little more fun before facing doom, yeah?

"I would hurry up if you'd give me some space," Nao said rather loudly. "I mean, you're practically all over me!"

Natsuki blinked. What was this girl trying to do, telling a flat-out lie like that? "What?"

Nao snickered silently and began depowering her phone. "Don't be so impatient! Once it stops vibrating, you'll know it's off! Or should I just silence it?"

Natsuki's eyes widened at the sudden realization of Nao's stupid innuendos. "What the—keep quiet, you!"

"Geez, you're so demanding," Nao said with a false irritated tone. "At least give me some time to finish getting dressed."

And this wasn't a complete lie, since the redhead was reaching for her jacket, and draping it on.

Natsuki's eye twitched. She heard someone clear his or her throat on the other side of the door.

"Um, take your time, you two, but please be out soon, others are in need of the restroom," said Aoi, sounding abash.

The overwhelmed escort couldn't take it anymore, and she slammed the door of the stall open with a very flustered and wild expression riding her countenance.

Chie raised a bemused eyebrow. "Well, well, well, what have we got here? Never thought you'd try your luck a second time."

Nao walked out of the restroom looking smug and took her place beside Natsuki, who was about to pee her pants in fear and embarrassment.

"W-wait, let me explain—"

"I'm not sure if you know, but this stall is me and Aoi's fun spot, so like get your own," Chie chastised with arms akimbo.

"C-Chie!" a flustered brunette sputtered out, placing a shy hand on her girl friend's shoulder to hopefully make it somewhat known to her that she was feeling a little uncomfortable.

The ebony-haired tomboy evidently sensed this, and sent her girl a reassuring smile, then returned to the rule-breakers.

"Don't worry, I know what it's like to have a high libido during long flights such as these, so I'll let you off the hook," Chie said with a knowing grin.

This misunderstanding, of course, only made Natsuki fall deeper into distress and anguish. Nao just inspected her nails with a bored expression.

"B-but I—"

"Run along now, before I change my mind," Chie warned.

Nao didn't think twice and promptly left for her seat. Natsuki was about to follow but found herself being halted by a firm grip on her shoulder.

"By the way," Chie whispered into her ear, "just between me and you, try to keep it a girl per flight, it's safer, take it from someone who knows."

And Chie clicked her tongue before pushing Natsuki, the good ol' player, down the hallway and sluggishly on her way to the seats without having the opportunity to reclaim some self-respect.

Aoi eyed Chie with suspicion. "What did you tell her?"

"Oh, nothing, just offered some practical advice," Chie said with a grin.

**TOKYO— 9:30 p.m. Today / LOS ANGELES—4:30 a.m. Today **

The weary escort (now done with her business) rested her unresponsive body in her seat, utterly mortified. She hadn't had the chance to explain herself, and now what did the stewardesses think of her? She didn't even dare to speculate, since the many possible assumptions would only serve to augment the fierce gnawing at her morale.

_It's all Nao's fault, _Natsuki thought bitterly. _I wish I hadn't gone to check up on her, all it did was bring me trouble. Agh, curse my bladder's needs! Why did Nao have to make all those weird statements anyways? They just made the situation worse! Her stupid, vibrating cell phone… what was she trying to do with it, anyhow? Take a picture of the toilet water? Keh, that'd be weird.. taking a picture… with your cell phone…_

_"Of course," Saeko said, grinning. "Be sure to send me some pictures of your new friend—oops—I mean, client."_

_Oh, crap, I completely forgot about that! _Natsuki exclaimed in her mind, her eyes snapping to a further extent.

The bluenette gingerly glanced at both of her sides through the corners of her eyes. Her seat buddies were asleep. Nao had her headphones on once again, so the college girl doubted she would hear any movement considering how loud she usually set the volume.

_But just to be sure…_

The bluenette increased the volume, noisy enough to make her oblivious to other sounds but low enough to keep her from becoming aware of someone messing with the volumes and waking up.

Natsuki eyed the rest of the passengers in the plane. Most of them were either asleep, reading, or watching a movie. Good.

The escort deftly pulled out her phone, a very cheap one at that, but as long as it could call, she was fine with it. She turned it on, all the while looking secretive to the point of paranoia. Once it had stopped starting up, and was ready to go, she slid a little closer to her dozing client.

_Okay, Natsuki, you can do this, _she mentally encouraged herself. _Just press the button, take her picture, and after we land, send it to mom. She'll never notice what you did. And who's going to tell her anyway?_

As the now resolute girl adjusted Shizuru into her lens frame, she couldn't help but admire her client's astounding beauty. She'd never spared herself some time to stop and _really _assimilate the girl's features. And just now she realized the maiden serenely resting beside her had been truly blessed by the gods and endowed with the gifts of elegance, fairness, and pulchritude.

Her slender figure was above any of the models' Natsuki had seen in the magazines she'd read. Her voice was clear and alluring, sweetly coated with the canorous ringing of her distinctive dialect. The hue of her skin was that of a faintly tanned cloud, and her touch was light and chaste. Her deep saffron mane appealed to all forces of motion, and stray hairs curled around other shafts of hairs, creating lovely spiral locks. Then there were the captivating and impervious hyacinth gems she possessed for eyes, which, while not curtained by her long eyelashes, seemed to suspend the course of time when boldly directed at someone.

_Damn, _Natsuki thought, shutting her gaping mouth to prevent anything from dripping out. _No wonder I was getting some scary glares at the airport. And that was with me being _just_ her escort! I never realized she was this gorgeous! Heh, I sort of feel sorry for whoever ends up with her. That person's going to have to take a lot of shit from envious people._

Natsuki chuckled at the thought. She'd love to see the troubled look on that person's face, but by then, she'd have cut ties with Shizuru.

_Oh, well, I guess I'll find out who it is once I read the news of her marriage in the future, _Natsuki concluded with a shrug. She shook herself from cogitation and focused on the task at hand. _Okay… 3…2…1…_

Snap!

Natsuki smiled to herself.

_Got it! _She cheered in her head, scrutinizing her newly shot photo.

"Ara, may I see?"

Natsuki instantly flinched, then froze for a few seconds, before stiffly lifting her gaze to meet the model of the picture's.

Natsuki whimpered in fear under the watch of those piercing eyes. "Uh…err… I… Don't get the wrong idea! Let me explain!"

"Ara, then please _do _elaborate," Shizuru said sweetly, though there was something menacing about the way she voiced it.

"It was my mom!" Natsuki quickly admitted.

"How's that?" Shizuru questioned lithely. "Could it be that I've missed Kuga-han's mother aboard this plane?"

"No, no, no, nothing like that! She's not here or anything!" Natsuki corrected. "Remember that call I got back when we were checking the panels? Well, that was my mom. She told me that she wanted a picture of you, and I'd totally forgotten about her request until now. I would have woken you up, but you seemed so peaceful and tired and I didn't want to disturb you, so I just opted for taking a sneak shot. I'm sorry, that was low. Here"—Natsuki handed her client the phone reluctantly—"feel free to delete the picture. It was wrong of me to take it without your permission in the first place. I mean, now I'm no better than stupid paparazzi—"

"Why, this is a wonderful picture," Shizuru interjected with her praiseful words. "Well, I _did _kind of pose for it, so I suppose that's why."

"Huh? Wait, so you were awake while I was taking your picture but didn't say anything!?"

"I trusted Kuga-han," Shizuru confessed. "I knew she must have had her reasons for taking them, so I didn't try to stop her."

Natsuki blushed lightly. How could a stranger harbor so much faith in her already?

"Kuga-han may even keep the picture and send it to her mother," Shizuru said, returning the device to her owner. "Or would she like to take another one? This time with me visually conscious, perhaps?"

"Ah, no, no, I don't want to pester you with this anymore," Natsuki said modestly.

"Ara, I am in no way bothered by Kuga-han's actions," Shizuru assured. "But if she doesn't want to take anymore pictures of me, I suppose I could live with that." She pouted a little. "Who would want to snap pictures of me, anyhow? I must not be very photogenic…"

"No, that's not it at all!"—_Nice one, Kuga, you're supposed to keep your client happy!_—"I'd love to take more pictures of you! You mind posing for me?"

Shizuru flashed a genuine smile. "Not at all."

**TOKYO— 10:30 p.m. Today / LOS ANGELES—5:30 a.m. Today **

"_Passengers, this is your pilot speaking."_

Everyone's face lit up expectantly. Was the man finally about to announce their close arrival? After all, eleven hours had already passed, so they should be approximately 18 minutes away from their destination. Nao, for one, was very glad to hear the voice of the man in the cockpit come on. She had honestly already grown sick of the lengthy plane ride and wanted to get off already, to be greeted by fresh air and kiss the ground hello.

"_I am happy to inform you that, yes, we are in Los Angeles, California."_

Everyone cheered.

"_But apparently there's a storm by the airport's vicinity, and we can't take landing."_

Everyone groaned.

"_We will have to remain in the air until the storm settles down. We are not aware yet of how long it will last. Please be patient for the flight is being prolonged."_

Everyone had different reactions to this: anger, sadness, annoyance, and me-no-understand-English-are-we-yet-in-America?

Natsuki wanted to smash her head into the closest solid object she could get her hands on. Shizuru remained composed and holding her ever enigmatic smile.

"Okay, that's it, if we don't land in the next hour, I'm totally jumping off this plane," Nao growled out.

"Don't joke like that," Natsuki said, though she understood her reason for being upset.

"Who said I was kidding?" Nao snapped back. "I've had some training in sky diving. I don't like it, but I can pull it off if I really want to."

"Relax, Nao," Natsuki chided. "It'll probably only take an hour for the storm to subside."

"You're telling me to relax," Nao began. "But I'm wondering how you're managing to keep a leveled head when it's very likely that you're going to miss your next flight."

And realization hit Natsuki like a bitch-slap in the face.

_HOW COULD I FORGET ABOUT OUR CONNECTION!?!?_

Natsuki rushed past Nao and headed for the overhead compartments. She pulled out her carry-on and fumbled for her itinerary. Once she grabbed a hold of it, she stuffed her carry-on back in the bin, closed it, and hurriedly made her way back to her seat.

_Ohcomeoncomeoncomon! _Natsuki thought desperately, hoping for her next flight to be hours away. _Pleaseletitbefarpleaseletitbefarpleaseletitbefar!_

The girl's eyes dilated at the sight of her next flight's departure time.

_And the clouds dispersed, revealing the mighty creator, who said, "I hate you, Kuga Natsuki."_

Her flight was at 6 in the morning in Los Angeles time zone.

_Well. I'll. Be. Dammed._

And she slumped forward into the seat in front of her, banging her forehead rather painfully on the small touch screen TV.

**LOS ANGELES—7:00 a.m. Today **

Natsuki panted heavily and ran to the gate she was supposed to have been at and hour ago with her new boarding ticket at one hand and dragging a submissive Shizuru along with her other one. Nao was following after them, and after being harshly questioned by Natsuki, she just said that she needed to go in the same direction and that there was no reason to get all paranoid.

Natsuki left Shizuru's side for a while to go speak (in Enlish) with one of the representatives at the gate. After several minutes, she sluggishly made her way back.

"How did it go, Kuga-han?" Shizuru asked with concern.

The bluenette shook her head in defeat. "We missed it."

"Don't worry, I missed my flight, too," Nao consoled.

Natsuki shot daggers in her direction. "I thought Los Angeles was your destination?"

Nao shrugged. "I said I was heading for Los Angeles. I never said it was my final destination."

"Kuga-han, what will we do?" Shizuru asked.

"Ah, don't worry, the lady scheduled us another flight for tomorrow noon," Natsuki reassured with a weak smile. "We didn't even have to pay for it or anything."

"Where will we stay until tomorrow arrives?" Shizuru queried.

"The lady said they're not to be held responsible over us missing the flight, since it was the weather's fault and all, so they're not obliged to pay for our inn," Natsuki explained.

"Ara, I do believe we have enough money to pay for one, yes?" Shizuru questioned.

"Yeah, we do," Natsuki said. "Don't worry, I'm your escort. I'll hold responsibility for this, so let me take care of the expenses."

"Cool, so where are we staying at?" Nao piped up.

Natsuki glared her way again. "_We_?"

"Yeah, I mean, I'm stuck here, too," Nao said. "Which reminds me, I need to schedule another flight. I'll be back, let me talk to that lady!"

And she left.

"My, we are in California, so we might as well make the best of it, yes?" Shizuru suggested optimistically. "Our flight isn't until tomorrow noon, is that correct, Kuga-han? So how about we visit the beach tomorrow? I've always wanted to go!" Shizuru clasped her hands charmingly in excitement.

Natsuki's jaw dropped in disbelief.

_We're stranded in L.A. and all she's thinking is the _**BEACH**_!?!?_

_

* * *

_O_O.... This was 45 pages long on Word. Sorry if you're not into reading long stuff, but this was 11 hours and 18 minutes worth of material :p. I'll try to keep the next chapters short if you don't like it. I hope this chapter amused you. Reviews or any type of comment would make me really happy and make writing this and getting hand cramps worth it. Thank you for your support so far! I hope you enjoyed your flight :3!


	4. Chapter 4

"We want the cheapest room you've got," Natsuki declared in blunt English, slamming a fist on the wooden desk of the front office of Bayside Hotel to emphasize her resolve on the request.

The man in charge of the front office quirked an eyebrow and began opening his mouth to generate a response.

"And don't say the storage room because we want two beds and a view," Natsuki clarified. _Like hell I'm rooming with the rats! _

The man quickly closed his mouth and instead opted for turning to his computer and checking the availability of rooms.

"Ah, yes, we have one available for access," the man informed, and Natsuki brightened up.

"H-how much?" When it came to financial matters, Natsuki turned herself into the most sheepish of ladies.

"It IS a new room, so for being the first guests to occupy it, we'll only charge you $99 per night," the man briefed, clicking away on his fancy computer.

Natsuki smile grew wider. "Any room for a discount?"

"I just _gave _you the discount."

"Pshh, fine," Natsuki said, frowning now. _Attitude much?_

The escort paid and, after cashing it, the man ambled to one of the stacks behind him and pulled out the key for room 206 on the second floor. The scowling bluenette held out her palm impatiently, waiting for the man to give it to her, but he headed straight for the girl's partner's direction, the lovely and demure brunette, and handed it to her instead.

"Oh, my," she said in perfect English. "Thank you very much, sir."

The man blushed. "Enjoy your stay." Then he went back to work on his computer.

_What the freak! _Natsuki thought with a dropped jaw. _She speaks funny in English, too!_

Indeed, Shizuru spoke in an impeccable British accent. One wouldn't even be able to tell she was Asian if it weren't for her facial features!

Natsuki, of course, also _did _have a peculiar dialect when speaking "Engrish." The "L"s and "R"s were pretty much interchangeable in her tongue. But other than that, her English was just as comprehensible and efficient as her client's.

"Shall we get going, Kuga-han?" Shizuru proposed in English. Of course, adding the "san" at the end made it a bit awkward, but cute nonetheless.

Natsuki nodded and grabbed her carry-on and bags, as well as Shizuru's. Though the heiress had previously argued that it wasn't very heavy and she could hold it herself, but Natsuki insisted on doing it for her and so the hyacinth-eyed girl promised to cease further dispute IF Natsuki at the least allowed her to hold her own carry-on. It was a deal.

So Natsuki rolled one large suitcase and had two bags slung over both of her shoulders.

They were fortunate enough to have been able to retrieve their baggage. Their luggage flew with them, so while they stayed in the air, held up by the storm, so did their bags. The only reason their connecting flight, which was heading for Denver, Colorado, was able to take off was because the storm was hogging mostly the edge west of California, leaving the east side fairly clear and safe for departure.

The escort and the heiress had been holding some idle chat as they waited for the photographer to finish booking her flight, but when they began to sense that the shorter girl was taking too long, they gaited closer to the desk she was just recently at, but found her nowhere in sight.

At this, Natsuki huffed, obdurately said, "Screw her," and motioned for Shizuru to follow her so that they could get their bags and search for a hotel to spend the night.

"How very thoughtful of Kuga-han to choose a hotel which is located fairly close to the ocean," Shizuru commented with esteem, reverting back to Japanese.

Natsuk scratched the back of her head in a modest mannerism. "Nah, I just thought that since we're going to visit Santa Monica beach, we might as well get the hotel closest to it, which I think was this one, Bayside Hotel."

"And indeed it is," Shizuru affirmed. "Only a few steps from the sea and 8 miles from the airport."

Natsuki let herself break a cheeky grin on her lips before arriving at their room. "So here we are."

Natsuki asked Shizuru for the key.

"Oh, no, please, allow me," her client insisted, and swiftly sauntered past her and positioned herself before the door to insert the key and open it.

Eyes widened and jaws were dropped. Well, at least that was Natsuki's reaction. Shizuru just casually walked in as if she'd been expecting this… or as if she was used to stuff like this… or even much better.

The room was sparkling clean, with shafts of sunlight piercing through the windows and illuminating over half of the chamber. There was a small flat screen TV hanging by a wall, and an ivory fanlight at the ceiling. Portraits, lamps, night tables, and straw-sewn chairs adequately added to the decoration and warmth the room gave off.

_If _**this **_is cheap, I might as well be living in garbage back in Japan, _Natsuki thought in awe.

The disbelieving bluenette rushed for the bathroom and slammed it open, checking every single corner of it. Everything was white, like those futuristic movies, or commercials for the apple electronics products, or heaven.

_Even the toilet water looks holy, _Natsuki said in contemplation, running her hand through the liquid in the bowl.

"Ara… what could Kuga-han be doing?" Shizuru's curious voice came, snapping her back to rationality.

The embarrassed girl quickly pulled her hand out of the toilet bowl and flashed Shizuru a, hopefully convincing, smile. "N-nothing! I was just thinking how… different this place was from my apartment back in Tokyo."

"Oh, so that's what it was," Shizuru said, sounding uncharacteristically relieved. "Kuga-han looked as if she was about ready to baptize herself with the toilet water just now."

"H-ha-ha, h-how weird would _that _be?" Natsuki replied nervously.

_Thank saints for self-control…_

"Silly moreover," Shizuru joked right back.

Natsuki smiled again.

Shizuru smiled right back.

Natsuki retained her smile.

So did Shizuru.

They both kept smiling at each other, immobile.

"Um… do you need something?" Natsuki finally said. She wanted Shizuru to leave the restroom, so she could have a serious talk with herself and wash her hands.

"Actually, yes, I was hoping Kuga-han would allow me to take over the bathroom for a few minutes so that I could change or maybe even shower?" Shizuru asked, which sounded more like a suggestion, but was actually a firm statement.

"Oh, yeah, totally, of course!" Natsuki quickly said. "Just… ah… let me take care of my business real fast."

The heiress consented. "Certainly." And she left Natsuki to her demons.

_Smooth, Kuga, just smooth… Now she thinks you're taking a crap in the toilet you were seemingly just about to baptize yourself with… sigh._

_But shitting is perfectly normal…right? So there's no need to get embarrassed! You could just say you were holding it in throughout the flight! But that would be unnecessary information. It would also be stupid to bring something like that up, I bet. _

_Ah, no matter, just wash your hands and get out _was Natsuki's final thought, and she opened the faucet to let the water run and clean her hands.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"The bathroom's free now," Natsuki informed while glancing at Shizuru but then abruptly stopping in her tracks.

"Is something the matter?" Shizuru asked, seeming genuinely concerned as she rose from the bed.

"T-the bed…"

"Yes?"

"It… it… it's…"

"Yes…?" Shizuru prodded, urging the girl on.

"It's single!"

"Ara, how is Kuga-han able to tell a bed's relationship status?"

"Not like that!" Natsuki said with a light flush. "It's a single, king-sized bed! What the heck! I clearly told the guy we needed _two _separate beds!"

"Is the prospect of having to share a bed with me that repulsive to Kuga-han?" Shizuru said, lowering her gaze and projecting her voice to a dismally shallow volume.

"Huh…? What? No, that's not what I meant at all, I just—!"

**BRGHH!**

_Oh… _

…_My_

… _DID SHE JUST CUT THE BED IN HALF! ?_

Natsuki's eyes bulged out of their sockets as they tried to process what the heck just went on. Shizuru. Bed. Push. Dimidiation. It still didn't make sense.

"Ara… why does Kuga-han appear so surprised?" Shizuru questioned with that ever enigmatic smile of hers. "This _is _a Hollywood Twin, so it's only natural to have the beds capable of rearrangement."

Now it made sense.

The bed was like a puzzle. If you put two matching pieces together, it created a picture. Set them apart, and they became their own entity. But, of course, the puzzle would be incomplete. Both twin beds formed one of about the same size of a king bed, and their blankets and covers had patterns that complemented each other.

"Wow, this is sweet," Natsuki admired after recovering, gliding her fingers over her half of the bed. "It could have fooled me! I mean, they're matching halves! It's scary how similar they are!"

Natsuki sat on the bed, and at the impact, bounced with a silly grin on her face. "Ha ha," she laughed, but then realized Shizuru was still right there.

_I'm an idiot_, Natsuki thought remorsefully. "S-so, weren't you going to take a shower?"

"Oh, yes, I'd almost forgotten," Shizuru said, ambling past her escort and grabbing some towels and bathing items. "I promise to be quick, so as to not cut Kuga-han's respective bath time short."

"Nah, don't worry about it, I can wait!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

…_Is what I said, but dang she's taking her sweet-ass time! _Natsuki thought impatiently.

It was already 12:00 p.m. and she was sitting at the corner of her half of the bed, watching TV. Hotels almost never had cable, so she was just sifting through all the available channels and waiting for something interesting to miraculously pop up. Her video game device was charging and so there was nothing else she could do to entertain herself but watch TV.

She sighed in exasperation and slumped backwards onto her bed. She stared at the roughly surfaced ceiling as her thoughts circulated and somehow trivial thinking led her to Nao.

_Hmm, what happened to her, anyway? She said she'd be back, and she never did come back. Ah, for all we know, maybe she saw something cool and decided to follow it and take a picture of it. Total photographer's habit… taking pictures… of things…_

Natsuki bolted back into a sitting position with a very annoyed expression.

"Damn, I knew I was forgetting something," she muttered distastefully.

She bounced off the bed and rushed for her carry-on bag. She rummaged through it until her fingers sensed the item she was searching for. She pulled it out.

"Got it," she said to herself after she was done sending the picture she shot of Shizuru to her mom.

"Okay, now I just got to wait for her re—"

The phone vibrated on the night table she'd placed it upon and beeped.

"…Well, that was fast."

She flipped her phone open.

**Saeko: She's adorable~! Never mind my injury, I want my job back! **

Natsuki furrowed her brows incredulously, typing up her reply.

**Natsuki: Mom, stop, you're reminding me of pedobear. And I'm already halfway through the globe. No way in hell am I going back now. It'd be a wasted trip. **

**Saeko: What a tight butt (=3=)**

**Natsuki: -_-**

**Saeko: You should be in Denver awaiting your next flight, isn't that so?**

**Natsuki: I should be. But I'm not.**

**Saeko: Natsuki, no kidnapping the client, no matter how cute she is.**

**Natsuki: That's something only you would do! We missed our flight.**

There wasn't a response for a good 2 minutes, before the phone began ringing.

_She's calling me?_

"Mom?" Natsuki said uncertainly.

"Okay, first step, don't panic," Saeko said gravely.

Natsuki rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, I already booked for the next available flight. Luckily, we'll make it to our connection in Denver."

"Oh, really?" Saeko said. "Well, then, I'm glad. I was honestly not in the mood to dictate a step-by-step guide on what to do in these sorts of occasions. I'm so happy to have such a reliable daughter!"

"Yeah, well, I'm still not sure how I feel about you…"

Saeko feigned a sniffle. "My daughter, she's so cruel to me! Even though I tried very hard on that special night to conceive her and then give birth to—"

"MOTHER!" Natsuki immediately cut off, blushing profusely. "Sheesh, why do you have to make things so awkward?"—Natsuki, at that moment, heard the door of the bathroom click—"Hey, listen, Shizuru's getting out of the shower now, so I have to go, okay?"

"Oh-ho, _Shizuru _now, is it?" Saeko said playfully, hiding a mirthful grin behind her hand. "Take care, sweetie. Mogaritei-san said he wishes you well and Alyssa-chan told me to tell you that she misses you."

Natsuki ignored the first-name comment and smiled fondly. "Tell her I miss her too. And make up something pretty and tell Mogaritei that's what I said. Love you, mom. Bye!"

"Oh, and I want a video next!" Saeko cheerfully expressed. "Love you, hun!"

"Wait, what! ?"

The line had already gone dead.

"Ara, Kuga-han appears mildly agitated," Shizuru noted as she came out of the shower… wrapped in only a towel. "Whom was she just speaking to?"

The sight of Shizuru's body semi-naked did nothing to help the already flustered bluenette. She couldn't allow Shizuru to see her in that state any longer, though, so she attempted to rid herself of her frenzy before actually speaking.

"I-it was just my mom," Natsuki explained, hastily closing her phone and stuffing it back into her bag.

"Ah, so it was," Shizuru said softly. She strutted past Natsuki rather breezily and headed for the AC switch. "Would Kuga-han mind if I turned it down?"

It took a few seconds for Natsuki to file into her mind what she'd just said, since she was still dazed by her client's elegant gait. "Huh? What? No, I don't mind."

Shizuru smiled and proceeded to lowering the AC.

_She must be a model, too, _Natsuki thought with intrigue. _Either that or she took lessons on the catwalk. _

"The shower is free now," the tawny-haired heartthrob reminded, eyeing the pensive Natsuki with amusement.

"Yeah, I noticed that," the bluenette mumbled out in retort.

Natsuki grabbed some fresh new clothes and a towel for her bath. Before she entered the bathroom, she glanced back at the still fairly bare beauty on the other half of the bed.

"So, uh, we had a long flight; you should rest" was what Natsuki said last.

Shizuru released a peramene smile. "Thank you for your concern."

The escort nodded and entered the lavatory.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

As the young woman of the cobalt hair showered, she began to think about Alyssa, her younger sister.

Alyssa was the best thing that had ever happened to her. Whenever Natsuki thought her life was shit wrapped in a tortilla roll, Alyssa was always there to make her realize that it was actually a beanlog of crap in an empanada but that next to it there was always hope enveloped in a taco case.

_Okay, no, bad metaphor, _Natsuki thought with a frown, shaking her head.

Alyssa was currently eight years old and in elementary school. She was very cute, undoubtedly brilliant, and full of joy. She was born around the time Natsuki was twelve, since she was now twenty. Natsuki really cared for Alyssa, even though she was her mom's and _that man_'s daughter. It's not that the bluenette hated Mogaritei Seya; in fact, he was tremendously nice, but he just wasn't her dad. And although Natsuki herself didn't know who her dad was, she still didn't want anyone trying to replace him. But her mom loved him… and so as long as he made her happy, she would bear with him.

So, yes, Alyssa was only her half-sister.

Alyssa, Saeko, and Mogaritei-san lived in Yokohama, not very far from Tokyo, which is where Natsuki had moved to in order to attend Tokyo University after her graduation from Senior High.

Her mom had come to Tokyo unexpectedly when she offered Natsuki the job of an escort, which is why the girl was surprised at seeing her at her door that day.

Natsuki had experienced homesickness throughout her freshman year in college, specially when she had to do the cooking and laundry herself, and she particularly missed her little sister, who used to always be there to cheer her ass up. And although a part of her felt guilty about this, she was glad to be out of the house and away from that Mogaritei guy. Even if she terribly missed Alyssa, she would never go back to her home.

When Alyssa was born, it was the saddest and happiest moment of Natsuki's life. Sad because she felt that she no longer was part of the family unit, with Alyssa being the biological child of both her mom and _that guy_, and happy because she would get to have a younger sibling to share things with and teach things to.

In short, she loved Alyssa, she wasn't very fond of Mogaritei, and her mom was just there.

Natsuki laughed as she finished up her shower; she could already see her mother pouting if she said that to her.

_Just kidding, mom, I love you, too, _Natsuki thought with a smile, and shut off the running water.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The youth of the midnight tresses walked out of the bathroom feeling refreshed, a small cloud of steam trailing behind her but dwindling as she delved further into the room. She was surprised to find her resplendent ward awake and comfortably leaning on the headboard reading a book.

"… Fujino?" Natsuki made her presence noted. "I thought I told you to go to sleep?"

"Ara, was that an order?" Shizuru questioned coyly, closing her book.

"N-not at all, I wasn't ordering you around when I said it… it was just a suggestion…" she finished lamely.

"Yes, I'm certain that Kuga-han had what was best for me in mind when she did so," Shizuru assuaged.

"Aren't you tired from the flight, though?" Natsuki said, shooting her client and inquisitive look.

"Oh, I am, but I wanted to wait for Kuga-han so we could go to bed together," Shizuru replied.

Natsuki felt her head release a puff of steam. "B-but we have separate beds…"

"Ara, I meant it in the sense that we would go to sleep at the same time," Shizuru rephrased.

"Oh…oh, y-yeah, that's what I meant, too," Natsuki said, embarrassed. _Nice save, doofus. _

The bluenette yawned, threw her towel aside, and crawled into bed. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted."

"As am I," Shizuru said, getting up and closing the curtains. It was still midday, so the sun would disturb them. "Kuga-han…"

"…Hmm?" Natsuki acknowledged, nuzzling into her pillow.

"As I was showering," Shizuru started hesitantly, "I began to think of Kuga-han…"

Natsuki's eyes snapped open_. She was_…_thinking of me… while at the shower… yup, that's not weird at all._

"…and Yuuki-han."

Natsuki abruptly sat up in bed. "W-why?"

_Okay, it's one thing to think of me while showering, but to think of me along with Nao! ?_

The heiress sauntered back to her bed and pulled the covers over herself. "Oh, believe me when I say it's nothing major. I just thought it somewhat peculiar how Yuuki-han seemed to know who Kuga-han was even though she hadn't introduced herself."

_Figures, _Natsuki thought, partially relieved yet partially disheartened. _Why else would she be thinking of you while showering, Kuga? _

"Oh, that," Natsuki began casually, a bit more relaxed. "Remember the gift shop? Well, I… helped her with something and that's how we met. I didn't know she was going to be in our flight, though."

"Then that would have still made Kuga-han and Yuuki-han strangers," Shizuru concluded. "So why did they begin to address each other so familiarly once aboard?"

"Okay, that was totally Nao's doing," Natsuki ranted. "When she introduced herself, she only gave me her first name. So I did the same. I guess that's why we sort of got on a first name basis."

"Ara, that was clever," Shizuru opinioned. "Maybe I should have only given Kuga-han my first name, as well?"

Natsuki laughed. "If you had, we wouldn't be here, because I was looking for a Fujino, not a Shizuru."

The heiress was a little surprised, since this was her first time hearing Natsuki enunciate her given name. She played the manner in which her escort said her name various times in her head, reliving it over and over until…

"…Um…Fujino?"

"Shizuru."

"Huh?"

"Call me Shizuru."

Natsuki blinked. That was certainly sudden. "Okay… Shizuru."

The young heiress smiled at once again hearing her name be uttered by her companion. After a momentary silence, Shizuru bit her lower lip expectantly before asking, "I suppose it's only fair that I call Kuga-han by her given name as well, yes?"

The bluenette felt her eyes grow heavy. She was close to falling asleep. She smiled lethargically. "Of course… you can…"

Shizuru licked her lips lightly before saying, "Natsuki."

And that was it. All the weary girl needed to fall into a peaceful and fulfilled slumber was to hear Shizuru say her name. With that distinctive dialect, which spun words into musical notes, she turned Natsuki's name into the equivalent of a lullaby, easing her into a tranquil sleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Kuga-han…"

Natsuki's closed eyelids twitched slightly, but remained shut.

"…Kuga-han."

Natsuki groaned and shifted in bed, trying to tune out the noise.

This time, the calling grew huskier in tone, lower in volume, and accompanied by a ticklish hot breath by the ear, "_Na-tsu-ki…_"

This grasped said girl's attention and she instantly popped her eyes open, though in her post-awakening daze sharply bumping into something with her noddle.

"Ouch!" the bluenette griped, rubbing her forehead.

A sniffle sounded. "Natsuki ikezu… I was only trying to wake her up and the first thing she does in the morning is headbutt me…"

_Oh, shit! _Natsuki scrambled out of bed and dashed to Shizuru's side in order to offer her assistance. "I'm sorry! Did I hurt you badly? I-I'll make it up to you, I promise!"

"Ara, really?" Shizuru asked, completely disregarding the faint throbbing of her head.

"Yeah," Natsuki reassured with a smile, helping her client up. "You just name it."

"Then I will make sure to hold Natsuki to her word," Shizuru declared with an ensorcelling smile.

"Natsuki…?" the bluenette reiterated, looking puzzled.

Shizuru reverted to her pouting face. "Ikezu… Natsuki doesn't remember we're on a first-name basis now…"

_Ikezu… where did I hear that before…? _

Natsuki frowned. "Did you just call me what I think you called me?"

"Ara, what does Natsuki think I called her?"

"You know… that…"

"That… which is…?"

"Ick…eh…sew… That."

"It's no fun if one has to explain," Shizuru pointed out with a wink, walking off to a door that Natsuki just took note of.

"Was that there before…?" Natsuki wondered aloud.

"Yes, this is the door to the balcony," Shizuru explicated. "We have a wonderful view of the ocean."

"Oh…" Natsuki stood there for a little while, still shaking off the sleep drugging her body. "Wait… what time is it?"

"I believe it's 7 in the morning," Shizuru informed.

"Wow, that means we slept a lot!" Natsuki exclaimed in amazement. "Um… we're going to the beach today, right?"

"I'm glad Natsuki remembers," Shizuru said cheerfully. "Now I think it would be best if I leave her to change. I'll be waiting in the balcony with our breakfast."

"Breakfast?"

"Of course, we can't start out the morning without the most important meal of the day!" Shizuru said. "I hope you don't mind that I ordered room service."

Natsuki blinked. "Huh? Ah, no at all."

_But my wallet's hurting…._

XXXXXXXXXX

After the couple (as in, two people) finished their breakfast, they packed up the things they had pulled out of their luggage so that when they returned from the beach, they'd be ready to leave for the Airport. The escort and her client descended the stairs with only their purses; well, Shizuru's was a purse, since she had packed one in her luggage, but Natsuki just sported her carry-on since that was the only thing closest to a purse that she had. As they closed in on the lobby, they began a short chat.

"Well, we're going to the beach and all, but we don't have swimsuits," Natsuki reminded.

"That's fairly true," Shizuru agreed, glancing at the bluenette. "Though we could always swim in our undergarments, yes?"

Natsuki chuckled. "Ha ha, good one."

"Ara, what was?"

Natsuki's eyebrow twitched. "Y-you were serious? No… no, no, no, no, not happening!"

"Ara, if Natsuki is that opposed to the idea, then I suppose we could visit a lingerie shop before attending the beach," Shizuru suggested.

At the word "lingerie," Natsuki instantly recalled a commercial she'd seen yesterday on TV…

**~Natsuki Vision Beginning~**

Cue sensual background music.

"When awaiting that special someone…"

'_Hey, luv….' _

"When desiring to be above all…"

'_O M G I N V U U R D 6 E B!' _

"When feeling flighty, casual, or daring…"

_A woman swishes hair, licks lips, and winks suggestively_

"What better than Lady Lucy's Lingerie?"

_It's raining bras and panties! _

"With unbelievable deals…"

'_Buy one for the cost of two and get one free? Unbelievable!'_

"And delivery service…"

_Girl in bikini with a box knocks on door. _

"Lady Lucy's Lingerie is best! Visit our stores and enter the surreal world of female undergarments or call now to order your own matching set of lingerie for 50% off at 1-800-hook-the-bra, again 1-800-hook-the-bra."

'_We'll be waiting…'_

_Slow motion hand wave._

**~Natsuki Vision Ending~**

"Natsuki!" an alarmed voice called. "Are you alright!"

Natsuki snapped out of her daze at the sound of her client's urgent tone. She instantly met with colored eyes matching her own.

"You!"

"Ugh, we've got to stop meeting like this," Nao said, groaning. "Mind getting off of me now?"

Shizuru immediately rushed to Natsuki's side when she removed herself from Nao. "What happened? Natsuki suddenly spaced out and tripped down the stairs…"

"And hit me on the way!" Nao added disdainfully.

The people that had gathered noted that the three involved were okay and so dispersed.

"I was just… thinking…" Natsuki said lamely, and then sharply turned to Nao. "And it's your own fault for being there, Nao! What are you doing here anyway? I don't recall ever telling you where we were staying at?"

"Well, I heard Barbie over here yell out 'beach' and figured you'd get a hotel closest to one," Nao explained, pointing at Shizuru.

"That makes sense, but how did you know we were coming down right now?" Natsuki questioned suspiciously.

"I didn't," Nao said, shrugging. "I just asked the receptionist if he'd seen two girls book a room last night, and he gave me the room number. I was heading there right now, until your fatass came tumbling down the stairs and knocked me over!"

"I-I'm not fat!" was Natsuki's weak argument. _It's not the mayo, is it?_

As Natsuki's insecurities gnawed at her mettle, Shizuru took over.

"What was Yuuki-han planning to do once she reached our room?"

"Wake you up," Nao said with a shrug. "You're still going to the beach, right?"

"Ah, yes, but we'll be paying a quick visit to a lingerie shop to purchase swimsuits first," Shizuru apprised.

"Why? I mean, can't you just swim in your undergarments?"

"Why, Natsuki, majority wi—!"

"No! We're getting the proper wear!"

"Ikezu…"

"Yeah, Natsuki, you douche bag!"

"…Ara, that's not what it means…"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The trio filed out of the inn with their purses. The redhead, dressed in casual blue shorts and a striped T-shirt, apart from having her bag, also had a black Canon digital DSLR camera hanging by her neck, focusing mount jutting out. Natsuki only wore knee-length jeans and a green tank top along with her carry-on. Shizuru sported a fairly loose beige skirt, which reached decently below mid-thigh, and a feather white blouse. All three were wearing sandals.

"So does Yuuki-han know any swimsuit stores close by?" Shizuru queried politely.

"The only one I can think of is Diane's Beachwear," Nao said, "but that one's way far from here, at least in walking distance terms. If we had a car or something it wouldn't be a problem."

"Well, that is certainly troublesome," Shizuru opinioned with a finger to her chin. "Where does Natsuki think we should go?"

Nao glanced Natsuki's way. The girl had been quiet the entire time. She was just walking down the sidewalk alongside them, seemingly oblivious to their chat. The photographer snapped her fingers in front of the girl and broke her from her daze.

"W-what?" Natsuki stumbled out, startled.

"Get with it here, the girl you're responsible for just asked you a question," Nao said sharply.

"Huh? Shizuru did?" Natsuki turned to her client sheepishly. "S-sorry, I was just thinking… What was it you said again?"

Shizuru smiled. "It's quite alright. I just wanted to know if Natsuki knew of any swimwear stores we could go to? Yuuki-han says the only one she knows is miles away."

Natsuki's thought reverted back to the earlier commercial. She fiddled with her fingers as she brought forth her own suggestion. "Ho-how about Lady Lucy's Lingerie…?"

Nao's eye twitched. "You want to make us look like kinky porn stars?"

Natsuki's cheeks flushed in spite. "Lingerie shops aren't dirty! They offer some pretty decent and cool wear! Some sell swimsuits, too, you know!"

"Natsuki, is that store nearby?" Shizuru questioned calmly.

The bluenette simmered down and replied, "Yeah, I saw it in an advertisement yesterday. The address was there and everything. It's really close to our hotel and the beach."

"Well, then I believe we've found the answer to our dilemma," Shizuru declared blithely. "Which way, Natsuki?"

"Just down the street."

"And down the gutter we go…"

"Nao, you're such a killjoy."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

When they entered the shop, the three immediately began to admire everything it offered. There were bras hanging by slatwall hook, panties and underwear neatly folded in rows for display on wooden stands, turning towers with light chemises, and mannequins sporting various slips and camis.

_If this were heaven, then why the heck did I ever leave it? ! ? ! _Natsuki thought in both ecstasy and fury. _No, no, snap out of it, me! I need to tend to my client!_

"So, see anything you like?" Natsuki queried, turning to the two girls.

"Ara, I like you, Natsuki," Shizuru coquetted complacently.

Natsuki rolled her eyes with a grin. "I was talking about the lingerie." She knew her client was just messing around.

"Well, I suppose I'd like to take a look around before purchasing anything," Shizuru said.

"Yeah, me too," Nao simply said, and walked away.

"Hey—hold—argh," Natsuki uttered gruffly in the read-head's direction, but then chose to let it go and returned to the tawny-haired heartthrob. "Shizuru, just call if you need anything. Wait, do we have each other's numbers?"

"I don't believe so," the heiress said honestly. She pulled out her cell phone from her handbag.

_Oh, Mylanta, a smart phone! ? _Natsuki thought in shock. She glanced at her own phone, which compared to Shizuru's seemed to render lower than the Underworld in Death Valley's shithole.

"Natsuki?"

"Huh? Uh. Phone number. Exchange. Right," Natsuki quickly reminded herself. "Well, my number is…"

After the two registered each other in their cell phones, they went their separate ways to check out the different lingerie the shop had to offer. Natsuki came across the mannequin of a woman dressed in a chemise. It was an alluring mesh nightie edged with lace and shaped with an empire waist. Natsuki fell in love with it. If she didn't know what love was, well, now she did. With her warped logic of a mind, she did.

She cupped the mannequin's breasts with her hands and began sliding them down to her perfect waist.

_Click!_

"Whoa, sexually harassing a mannequin?" Nao's amused voice lapped up, holding her camera. "What? Can't you find pleasure feeling up real people?"

"N-Nao! ?" Natsuki sputtered out, startled. "Damn, delete that picture right now!"

"No way, I've got to warn people that there's a pervert out on the loose," Nao said with a smirk. "This is going to be your 'Most Wanted' picture!"

Natsuki scoffed indignantly. "Don't be stupid, I was just checking the fabric."

"Mh-hmm," hummed Nao incredulously.

Natsuki glowered at her. "I couldn't take her clothes off, since it's only for display. So the only thing I could do was run my hands over the material."

"Oh, you gave it a gender?" Nao asked, suppressing her laughter.

Natsuki growled with a light blush. "I meant I couldn't take _**its **_clothes off! And for your information, it's an _it _modeled to look like a _she_, so I said it right!"

Nao swallowed her impish mirth and asked, "So, what's the fabric?"

"It's acetate; silky, soft, and luxurious," Natsuki said, crossing her arms. "Real fancy."

"I don't even want to know how you can tell those things," Nao murmured, walking off. Natsuki followed her.

"Hey, Nao," she began. "Why did you disappear at the airport?"

"I just spotted a chick with really cool earrings," Nao explained casually. "She was in our flight, too, and since then I've been wanting to ask where she got them. So I followed her when I saw her."

"You know that's like stalking, right?" Natsuki informed in a monotonous tone.

"Hey, you've got to chase what you're after, no?" Nao said with a shrug.

"There are other ways to do it," Natsuki said with a frown.

"So when did she stop calling you 'Kuga-han'?" Nao flipped the topic.

"Hmm?" The bluenette then understood she was talking about her client. "Oh, that. It was last night."

Dot. Dot. Dot.

"Whoa-ho-ho-ho, spill the deets!" Nao urged, turning to face Natsuki.

The escort eyed her skeptically and crossed her arms before her chest again. "Stop insinuating delusional crap. Nothing happened. She just asked if we could call each other by our first names and I told her we could. That was it."

"Aw, how boring," Nao said with a grimace. "But speaking of that… your last name's Kuga, huh?"

"Yeah…?" _Where's she going with this?_

"Kuga's shorter than Natsuki, so I'll start calling you that."

The escort's eyes widened in surprise, and her lips cracked a smile. "We think alike! That's what I did with _your _name. Nao is practically one syllable, and so I thought it'd save me seconds of my life when calling you!"

"Really? I think I like you better now," Nao said with a grin. "You're okay, Kuga."

"Can't say the same about you," Natsuki said with an arched brow.

"Never mind, I hate you again," Nao spat, and stomped off.

_Gee, bipolar much? _"Hey, hold up!" Natsuki tried to keep up to her pace. "Delete my picture?"

"You wish."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The photographer and the escort wandered around the store, searching for the dressing room, hoping to find the heiress there since she wasn't anywhere else. Natsuki thought about calling her, but she didn't want to be a bother, just in case she was in the middle of something imperative. But, then again, Natsuki thought anything having to do with lingerie was important.

They found Shizuru standing on a low, wooden plinth, sporting an appealing striped bikini with classic triangle top features and a low-rise bottom with side-ties for an adjustable fit. Natsuki nearly stumbled over her own feet.

"Ara, Natsuki should be more careful, she almost fell," Shizuru advised benignly.

"Nao tripped me," Natsuki quickly covered.

"Huh? What are you on a—?"

Natsuki slapped her mouth shut. "So, uh, you found something you'd like?"

Shizuru smiled radiantly. "Yes, I'd love to have this two-piece bikini." Shizuru pivoted gracefully on her spot, and then returned to the flabbergasted bluenette.

"What does Natsuki think?"

"Hmm, I wouldn't mind a piece of that," Nao mused, checking Shizuru out.

Natsuki instantly stopped gaping and glared Nao's way. "What did you say?" she asked dangerously through infrendiated teeth.

Nao rolled her eyes and sighed. "I was _talking _about the _bikini_. I wouldn't mind a piece of _that_."

The escort blinked and then immediately backed off when she realized her misconception. She recovered as fast, though. "Well, don't make things sound so lewd!"

"Ara, Natsuki still hasn't given her opinion on my swimwear…"

Natsuki's attention instantly returned to her client. "Err…"

_Argh, what am I supposed to say! _Natsuki thought in panic. _'Shizuru, I'm sorry, but you're exposing too much flesh.' I'm not her mother! 'Shizuru, forgive me, but you look like a stripper.' That's rude! 'Shizuru, you look hot!' Those are my actual thoughts, but I can't just voice them! Truth is, I just don't want anyone else to see her in something this… provoking. It'll be hard to keep guys off of her at the beach! We'll be pestered all the time! And she's my client for goodness' sake, so it's my duty to protect her!_

The escort hadn't realized that some minutes had passed since Shizuru had spoken, and of course, the latter completely misunderstood and said, "Ara…I suppose Natsuki doesn't like it then…"

"What?" A guy that worked for the store and that seemed in his late twenties showed up and gasped. "Sweetheart, oh no, these girls have no taste in lingerie if they don't see how great that looks on you! It's just _fantabulous_~!

"Oh, my, thank you," Shizuru said in English.

"What?" Natsuki's eyes shot up to meet Shizuru's expectant ones. She began to speak English, too. "It's not like that! I just"— _think, think, think, BRAINFART! I mean, BRAINBLAST!_ —"I just need to check if it's the right fabric first!"

Nao grinned mischievously. "Well, this should be interesting…"

The employee eyed Nao curiously. She had spoken in Japanese so he didn't understand what she meant.

_I just need to feel the material and lie about it not being the right kind. Then she'll __**have **__to choose another one! _Natsuki thought with determination.

"Ara, how will Natsuki do that?" Shizuru queried charmingly, seeing how Natsuki was striding closer to her with a confident gait.

"Just stay still," the bluenette commanded firmly.

The block of wood was broad and flat enough to accommodate two people, so Natsuki stepped up on it and was at equal heights with Shizuru. She knew her client was not a mannequin, and so she'd have to do it a different way.

The escort kneeled down, placed her hands at the side of Shizuru's waist, and began stroking the material with conviction. She figured she'd only have to work on one of the pieces, since they were still the same material. And she figured it'd be less risky to work on the bottom piece than to work on the top piece, where her breasts were.

Shizuru lightly gasped, tensing a little. Natsuki immediately perceived the contraction of her muscles and smiled up at her.

"Don't worry, it won't take long, just relax," she reassured.

Shizuru nodded with an undetectable blush.

Natsuki returned her gaze to the bottom piece and scrutinized it thoroughly. She soon felt Shizuru's hands find her shoulders for support, and allowed her to keep them there to maintain balance. Natsuki glided her fingers across her hips, almost as if she were massaging them. She was able to tell the material was mostly nylon, but there was a bit of polyester mixed in, too. She stretched the sides of the bottom and let them go. Yup, there was spandex, alright.

_Damn it, _Natsuki thought with distaste. _This thing is perfect! Shizuru sure knows how to pick them! Should I tell her that the material is wrong? That's the only way I'll get her to wear another one. But the employee's right there; he'll know I'm lying! Ugh, what should I do! ?_

In her frustration, Natsuki pressed her thumbs somewhere a little below Shizuru's abdomen with a little too much pressure and elicited a sharp intake of breath from the girl, which also caused her to bent slightly over the bluenette. Natsuki's eyes flapped open at this action.

The employee, though being gay, was incredibly turned on by Shizuru's restrained gasp. _Holy Mother of Zeus, I'm cured! _

Nao gaped at the brunette, and swallowed. _Damn, if I were a guy, I'd have something sticking out of my—_

"I-I'm sorry!" Natsuki apologized in alarm, immediately removing her hands and rising to Shizuru's level to check if she was okay. "Did I hurt you?" Of course, only the oblivious _her _would be capable of completely overlooking that heavenly sound.

The escort was honestly concerned for her client; she didn't mean to harm her.

Shizuru quickly recovered and tugged a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "A-ara, yes, I'm quite alright. Natsuki just grazed a rather sensitive spot of mine. She didn't do anything wrong."

"Yeah," Nao scoffed. "She did something _right_."

Shizur narrowed her eyes at Nao, freezing the girl into silence, and the turned to her befuddled escort. "So, does Natsuki now know if the material corresponds?"

Natsuki stopped trying to figure out what the rest of them were on about and replied, "Err, uh, yeah…. I'm sorry, Shizuru, but the material is rayon. The swimsuit would shrink if it made contact with water and dried." _I'm a dirty, stinking liar! _"We have to find a nylon and spandex piece."

Shizuru switched from a curios countenance to a disappointed one. "Ara, what a pity. I suppose I'll have to search for another. I do wonder who would make a swimsuit from rayon fabric though…"

Natsuki laughed nervously, stepped off the plinth, and backed away with a wavering smile. "I-I know, right? It's dumb, huh? Ha ha ha… ha…"

"Hmm, I was pretty sure every swimsuit here was nylon," the employee said pensively. "Oh, well, no matter"—he giddily skipped over to Shizuru—"Come, toots, I'll help you find a bathing suit."

"My," she began, in English, "I'm rather thankful for your offer, but it appears that my friend knows a fair deal about lingerie, as well, so I hope you don't mind if she helps me instead?" Shizuru beamed at him with a smile that left no room for refusal.

"O-o-o-of course, dear!" he said, flamboyantly floating his way back behind the counter with a waving hand. "Happy shopping~!"

"Natsuki," Shizuru said, reverting back to Japanese, "shall we?"

Natsuki grinned. "Sure!" There was nothing more exciting than finding the right piece of lingerie!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shizuru and Natsuki were done shopping for the right bathing suit, and were now heading for the register to pay.

"Will this be all?" the fruity employee asked as he checked out the articles of lingerie.

"Yeah," Natsuki said, reverting to English and taking out her wallet to search for some cash.

"Ara, Natsuki doesn't have to pay for me," Shizuru said, placing her hand on Natsuki's wrist to stop her actions. "She should just pay for herself. I'll pay for my own swimsuit."

Natsuki shook her head and removed her client's hand from her arm. "Sorry, Shizuru, but I told you at the airport, right? I'll be the one to pay for everything since I got you stuck here in L.A."

"It wasn't Natsuki's fault, however, so she's in no way obliged to do that for me," Shizuru scolded lightly.

The escort hurriedly thought of another potential reason for her actions. "I'm still responsible for you, so please, let me do this." Natsuki's eyes were pleading.

Shizuru maintained her firm gaze. She was not one to easily succumb to the puppy look. After a while, though, she sighed in resignation. If her escort wanted to do it, then she shouldn't stop her. "I suppose it's alright just this once—"

"Cool! Thanks, Shizuru!" Natsuki turned back to the cash register guy. "So, yeah, I'm paying. How much?"

"$16.75," he said after pressing some buttons.

As Natsuki once again dug into her wallet, she caught Nao intensely eyeing one particular piece of lingerie. She raised an eyebrow and momentarily halted what she was doing.

"Are you going to get that?" she queried.

The photographer snapped out of her trance and prompted her gaze over to Natsuki. She immediately looked disinterested. "Nah. It's not like I'm going to need it."

Natsuki's eyes hardened. "Nao, Santa Monica is not a nude beach."

"Who said I wanted a nude bitch named Monica?"

The bluenette faceplamed. "Forget it. Just get it!"

"I can't," Nao mumbled. "Don't have enough cash."

"What? Then how the heck did you rent a room at the hotel?" Natsuki incredulously questioned.

"Credit card."

"And where is it?"

"Left it at the hotel."

"Why?"

"It was a beach day," Nao explained with a shrug. "I didn't think I'd need it."

"Well, how do you plan on swimming without a swimsuit?" Natsuki barked.

"I'm not wearing one!"

"I already told you there are no nude beaches in L.A.!"

"Stop thinking about bitches for a second, will you!"

"Ara, I believe we're having some difficulties understanding each others' English," Shizuru insightfully intervened. "Why not try Japanese?"

The two did so.

"Not a nude beach? Oh… bummer…" Nao sighed. "I'll just wear my undergarments. No one'll notice the difference."

"Over my dead body," Natsuki countered firmly. "I am not walking around with a girl wearing bras and panties instead of a proper bathing suit. I'm getting you that swimsuit."

"I don't need you to pay for me, Kuga," Nao said with a scowl, arms folded across her chest.

"It's not for you, it's for me," Natsuki said, stomping over to the stand with the piece Nao was eyeing. "I'm doing this because I want to."

"Now, tell me, what's your size?" Natsuki asked.

Nao mumbled out the answer reluctantly.

"Okay, got it," the escort said, grabbing one of the bikinis, and then returned to the cash register. "Include this one in the count, too, please."

"Of course," said the employee.

The short alizarin-haired photographer felt as though her pride had been wounded. However, a _very _small part of her being was also swayed by the escort's actions. But, of course, her injured pride overpowered any iota of gratitude she might have possessed, and so she didn't thank Natsuki for buying her the swimsuit she had very clearly been enthralled by.

Shizuru smiled softly. She was very moved by how kind her escort was. Though, she felt something gnawing at her heart. The bluenette had paid for Shizuru because she said she was her "responsibility," but when it came to Nao, she said she "wanted" to do it. The heiress was slightly unsettled by that difference in treatment. It was quite rare for her to feel the tiniest bit uneasy, and even more worrying when what caused those feelings to stir was a simple contrast in wording.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Santa Monica beach wasn't far from the Lady Lucy's Lingerie boutique, only a few minutes away on foot.

When the trio arrived at their much-anticipated destination, they marveled in awe at the insouciant ambience of the sea. The environment was effervescent and easygoing, with children of all ages running and playing around and their parents watching them with vigilance as they themselves enjoyed the equivalent to a romantic outing.

Shizuru's zealous gaze slowly panned left, mindful of not missing a single object in her frame of vision as she meticulously continued to admire the breathtaking scenery. The sun's beautiful, golden shafts of heat struck the sapphire blue waters and compelled glittering sparkles as they stretched over the coast, as if reaching out for her.

"Shizuru?" Natsuki's quizzical tone of voice extracted her from her relish of the beach and prompted her to turn.

"Yes, Natsuki?" she inquired with a smile.

"Ah, no, nothing really, you were just spacing out," the bluenette explained. "But, like… there's something we might have forgotten…"

The heiress cocked her head to the side slightly. "And what might that be?"

"If it's towels, I got enough for us three," Nao announced.

"No, no, not towels…" Natsuki dismissed.

"Pails and shovels?" Shizuru offered.

"We're not kids!" the escort cried. She thought about it for a few seconds longer and then finally snapped her fingers recollection. "Got it! We don't have one of those big umbrella things!"

"Ara, Natsuki's right," Shizuru said. "However will we protect ourselves from the sun's UV rays?"

"Like, this is still a beach, so there should be people selling them somewhere, right?" Nao reminded.

The photographer and the heiress both turned to eye Natsuki pensively.

"Wh—wha'cha looking at me for?" the girl in question sputtered out.

"I don't have enough money."

"Ara, I only have a credit card."

"You guys are full of it," Natsuki said with a cranky pout, crossing her arms. "But fine, I'll buy it." She located a stand with two girls selling the sunshades "Well, while I take care of that, you guys go and find a spot for us before this place gets any more crowded."

"Of course," Shizuru said pleasantly. "Shall we go, Yuuki-han?"

"Sure," Nao said with a shrug, walking off with Shizuru further into the beach.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Nao inspected the sandy area along with Shizuru and kicked off her sandals.

"Ouch!" Nao blasted, returning to her sandals. "The sand burned my feet!"

"Ara, are you okay?" the mahogany-haired maiden asked.

Nao shot her a callous expression. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just a few permanent searing scars here and there…"

"I'm glad to hear you're fine, then," Shizuru said with a smile.

_Seriously! ? _Nao thought incredulously. She straightened up and cleared her throat. "Well, yeah, I guess this spot is a no-no."

"Why cross it out so quickly?" Shizuru queried.

"The sand just grilled my feet," Nao reminded with rancor.

"Well, yes, that is technically true," the heiress agreed. "However, that was because Yuuki-han was careless and stepped on the sand with bare feet."

"But what's the point in a beach day if you'll be wearing sandals throughout?" Nao argued. "I mean"—Nao signaled to her right—"Look at those kids. You don't see _them _frying their feet off."

"This particular location, though, is far more spacious than any of the others," Shizuru defended. "And we'll be needing some room if we're going to set up a parasol."

"I'm not talking about space here," Nao said. "I'm talking about the heat."

Shizuru pulled out a towel and stretched it over the sand. "As the day progresses, the sand will regress into a lukewarm temperature, I assure you."

"Let's focus on the present," Nao said disgruntled.

"Ara, does Yuuki-han perhaps have sensitive feet?" Shizuru asked with a knowing grin.

Nao "tch'ed" and began stubbornly peeling off her shirt. "Whatever, let's just change."

And Shizuru thanked her persuasion skills.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, a grumpy brunette stomped towards the brolly stand, where a young woman with short raven hair was arranging and organizing the items out for purchase.

"I need one of your big-ass umbrella things," Natsuki laconically said with a stoic expression.

The raven-haired girl heard the raspy yet feminine voice of the customer and turned around, flashing a salesperson smile and alluring eyes.

"Well, hello, there~! Is it hot out here or is it just youuuuuoh, hey, it's _you_!"

"No, it's not me, it's the sun, you weirdooooooh, crap, it's _you_!" Natsuki's finger stuck out conspicuously.

The girl grinned. "You know, it's not polite to point at people."

"Yeah? Well, it's not polite to hit on customers, either."

The girl gasped. "Then where's my freedom of speech! ? I thought I was in America!"

"That doesn't apply to you!" Natsuki bluntly said.

"Barbie, you don't know my life!"

Natsuki's eyebrow twitched. "Ugh, just tell me, what are you doing here?"

The raven-haired girl settled down and casually replied, "Aoi and I got caught during fun-time."

Natsuki's forehead wrinkled. _What the heck's fun-time? _"So… you got fired?"

"Basically," the raven-haired girl sighed. "And now here we are, working at a beach stand. But we're happy so it's cool. Oh, that reminds me, we never really introduced ourselves, huh?"

_Hmm, what's the harm? I'll never see her again. _"Kuga Natsuki."

"Harada Chie."

They both extended their hands and shook them.

"Like, I don't mean to cut this short, but I seriously need one of those umbrella things," Natsuki informed, growing a little impatient.

"Ah, yes!" Chie pulled her business-face on. "You're talking about the _parasols_, right, my dear?"

The bluenette rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that. How much?"

"Oh, don't you worry about the price," Chie assured. "Since you're an acquaintance, in commemoration of our reencounter, I'll give ya one for free!"

Natsuki loosened up and scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "Really? Well, uh, thanks… I guess…"

"No problem! One parasol coming up!" Chie said, and pulled down one of the parasols in display to hand it rather gentlemanly to Natsuki. "A parasol for my dear customer… Get it? _Parasol_? 'Cause in Spanish, **para **means **for **and **sol **means **sun**"—_Great, she's punning in Spanish now_—"and we're at the beach. Under the **sun**_._ And you're asking me for a **para**—OUCH!"

Girl got smacked into silence.

"See, Chie?" This is why we don't often get customers," Aoi sighed. "Your jokes drive them away."

Chie grinned. "That's not what you said last ni—OW! Stop hitting me!"

"You brought it upon yourself," Aoi said firmly, though unleashing an inevitable blush on her cheeks. She turned to face the bluenette, and her eyebrows creased as she scrutinized her. "Hmm, you look familiar…"

"Aoi, it's that girl from the plane!" the raven-haired girl revealed excitedly. "Small world, huh?"

"Really!" Aoi said, surprised. "Oh, well… this is embarrassing…A-anyway, she's a customer, so tend to her, I need to take care of some things in the tent."

"Roger!" Chie said earnestly, saluting her girlfriend off.

After making sure the other girl was gone, Natsuki once again focused on Chie. It was about time she got back to her client and the photographer. "So, um, you're sure there won't be any troubles if you give me the parasol for free?"

Chie waved her hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, no problems at all. I mean, what are they going to do—fire me?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The escort searched for her two companions while holding the large parasol down. The merchant girl was smart when she chose the design. It was of a whirl of Byzantium-colored flowers, which would provide greater shade from the sun than if it had been a lighter color. Right when Natsuki was about to give up and call Shizuru with her cell phone, she spotted aforementioned girl… along with Nao… who was stripping.

"Nao, what in the freak are you doing! ?" Natsuki demanded agitatedly.

"It's called _changing_," the red-head said in a _duh _kind of tone.

"Ara, welcome back, Natsuki," the ocher-haired client said.

"Oh, hey," Natsuki greeted, she pulled out the parasol and clipped it open. "I got it. Now I just need to set it up… um… do you just stick it in the sand?"

"I suppose so," Shizuru said with smile.

"We don't need rocks or anything to hold it?" Natsuki asked, just to make sure.

"Nah, just dip it in there real deep," Nao said, folding her T-shirt and proceeding to removing her shorts.

Natsuki shrugged. "Okay." She lifted the pole and pushed it in the sand. It was still fairly on the surface, so she tried to grind it in with much more force.

"Agh, it's not going all the way in," Natsuki complained, annoyed.

"Well, you've got to put more effort than that," Nao said.

The escort narrowed her eyes at the red-head before attempting it again.

"Do it harder."

"I know already, I think I can feel it going in."

"If you don't pick up the pace!"

"Ughm!"

"It's going to come back out!"

"I'm doing it as fast as I can, woman!"

"But you're not doing it hard enough!"

"Sheesh, you're so insatiable!"

"Ara, then why doesn't Yuuki-han give it a try?" Shizuru suggested, clasping her hands together. She really needed to stop that exchange from further developing.

"Yeah, give the pole to the stripper, that'll help," Natsuki muttered.

Nao glared at Natsuki. She stomped over to where she was and pushed her out of the way. She rubbed her hands together and then placed them on the pole. She began to press it down into the ground.

"There," Nao said smugly. "Now, was that so hard?"

Natsuki's face reddened. "I-it was just 'cause I loosened it up for you! I did most of the work!"

"Yeah, sure, whatever," the photographer said dismissively. "Anyway, do you guys need towels or anything? I brought more than enough."

"Yuuki-han does not need to concern herself over us, we've packed our own," Shizuru politely declined.

Nao shrugged. "Okay. It's cool."

She reached for her bag and pulled out a white towel, spreading it over the sandy ground. She also pulled out a pair of sunglasses and put them on.

"Well, I'll catch you two later," she said, casually walking off.

"Hey, where are you going?" Natsuki questioned just as she was setting up her own towel as well.

"We're in L.A., where Hollywood's at," Nao began. "This place's brimming with talent scouts everywhere. Obviously, I'm going to get discovered. No way in hell am I going to waste my life away on some dead-end job such as a photographer."

"Well, good luck with that," Natsuki jeered, smirking at her knowingly.

Nao glared at her.

"I hope Yuuki-han attains her goal," Shizuru said honestly with an angelic smile.

The red-head didn't detect any hint of guile from the tawny-haired heartthrob so she just nodded in acknowledgement of her comment and resumed her departure.

"She's delusional," Natsuki deadpanned.

"Ara, Natsuki, that's not very nice," Shizuru playfully chastised.

"It's the truth, though," Natsuki said bluntly, turning to her client. "So, we're at the beach. What do you want to do?"

Shizuru raised a delicate finger to her chin and pondered over the question, seemingly considering the many activities they could engage in.

"Well, I'm sure we don't want to get a sunburn, so how about we apply some sunscreen before doing anything?" Shizuru suggested cheerfully.

"Yeah, I guess that's true, so let's do that," Natsuki said. "But… I don't have sunscreen."

"Don't worry, I brought some," Shizuru reassured, slowly crawling towards her purse and fishing for the product. Once she found it, she returned to Natsuki with a smile.

Natsuki smiled back.

Shizuru kept on smiling.

Natsuki sustained her own.

Shizuru's unrelenting smile was still there.

Natsuki's smile twitched.

"So… uh… who's going first?" she asked uneasily. "I mean, it's yours, so you can go before me if you want. I can wait."

Shizuru's smile grew wider, and she lifted her sultry garnet orbs to meet with Natsuki's ambivalent diopside gems. She leaned closer to her escort and nudged at her hand with the bottle of lotion, which caused the latter to take a hold of it.

The object in the middle joined their hands, and Shizuru finally broke the silence. "I'd very much like it if Natsuki helped me apply sunscreen in those hard-to-reach places," she said with a soft ring to her Kyoto-ben. "Of course, I'd also return the favor."

Natsuki felt very tense at Shizuru's proximity, but she couldn't quite understand why. _Am I claustrophobic? _She idly wondered, but then shook the ridiculous notion out of her thoughts and smiled at Shizuru. "Yeah, sure, I'll help."

The maiden of Mahogany curls beamed right back and stood up to remove her clothing.

"W-what are you doing?" Natsuki asked nervously.

"Ara, I'm undressing so that Natsuki will be able to apply the lotion without any obstructions, of course," Shizuru said nonchalantly.

"A-ah, yeah, you're right," Natsuki said, releasing a wavering laugh. "We're at the beach, anyway, so we'll have to take them off at some point."

"Is Natsuki going to remove hers anytime soon?" Shizuru queried with a grin and a raised brow.

The bluenette braced herself defensively and said, "M-maybe later, first let's put the sunblock on you."

Shizuru chuckled lightly and mirthfully lay herself spread over the towel, her entire back profile facing Natsuki. She pulled her hair over to one side of her shoulder to make access to her back easier.

The escort gawked at her client's anatomy. If she thought she could be a model in-disguise before, now she thought she could be Miss Universe gone incognito!

If her countenance wasn't enough to indicate the beauty of her client, her body certainly cleared any doubts the public might have ever had about the young heiress's elegance. Her svelte figure was unrivaled; curves outlined her image, and her shoulders and arms seemed delicately structured. Her back was fairly shaped and gave way to her waist and lovely hips. Her long, slender legs crossed and uncrossed over each other in anticipation.

_And America's Next Top Model is..._

"Natsuki?"

The bluenette mentally slapped herself. "A-ah, yeah?"

"I'm just wondering when Natsuki will begin applying the sunscreen is all," Shizuru drawled out.

"R-right away!" she said, hastily opening the bottle and accidentally shaking a superfluous amount of cream out.

"Ugh, too much came out," Natsuki mumbled as she eyed the white lotion on her palm disgruntled.

"Well, then," Shizuru began, "how about Natsuki does all of me instead of just the hard-to-reach places?"

"U-um… yeah… okay, I guess… for the lotion's sake," Natsuki quickly covered.

"Indeed, we don't want it to go to waste," Shizuru said soothingly, closing her eyes as she waited for Natsuki's hands to make contact with her skin.

Natsuki nodded, rubbing her hands together to spread the cream, and then placed them on her back.

Shizuru slightly flinched.

"S-sorry, did you want me to start from a particular place?" Natsuki asked timidly, removing her hands.

Shizuru released a lilting chuckle, which placated the bluenette's uneasy emotions. "It's nothing like that. It's just that Natsuki's hands were surprisingly cold."

"Well, excuse _me_ for having cold hands," the bluenette muttered sarcastically.

Shizuru turned to smile at her escort. "Ara, I didn't mean it in a offensive sense, Natsuki," she reassured. "Haven't you heard? People with cold hands tend to have the warmest of hearts."

Natsuki looked up, startled. She met with Shizuru's honest gaze and faintly blushed. "Um… thanks…" She cleared her throat. "So, you're okay with me starting on your back, then?"

"Yes, Natsuki can just work her way down," the tawny-haired heartthrob said, turning her head back to the front and resting it on her folded arms.

"Okay," the other said, placing her hands on Shizuru's hand once again and allowing her to get used to their temperature before continuing.

It was Natsuki's first time applying sunblock on anyone other than herself, so she awkwardly ran her fingers over her client's skin, trying to get every single spot of flesh covered with the cream without touching intimate places or making her client feel uncomfortable.

"I'm not very good at this," Natsuki admitted bashfully.

Shizuru shook her head, relaxed. "Nonsense, Natsuki's performs this very well. It doesn't even feel like she's applying sunscreen. Has she ever thought of becoming a masseuse?"

"Really? Am I that good?" Natsuki said incredulously. "I mean, I feel like all I'm doing is running my hands all your body."

_What the freak am I saying? _ Natsuki thought with dread, wanting desperately to bang her head on the nearest solid object she could get her hands on.

"Please forget I ever said anything," Natsuki pleaded, embarrassed.

Shizuru's shoulder shook as she silently laughed. "My, Natsuki doesn't have to feel so conscious. Actually, I hadn't given a second thought to her words until she apologized."

"Oh…. Well, I feel stupid," Natsuki grumbled with a pout. She proceeded to scooting more to her left, so that she'd be able to reach the length of Shizuru's legs.

The next few words surprised Shizuru.

"Hey, remember you said you had a sensitive spot back in the boutique?" Natsuki casually asked, not noticing the stiffening of her client's muscles.

"Yes?" Shizuru calmly replied, though feeling a bit unsettled on the inside.

"Well, I'm just asking because I want to know if there are any places I should watch out for now that I'm going to be doing your legs," Natsuki said, reaching for the bottle again.

"No… none that I should know of," Shizuru responded abashedly, burying her face deeper into her folded arms.

"Okay," Natsuki said, grazing the cream over Shizuru's legs. "So… are you like ticklish there or something?"

Shizuru recalled the memory and an unnoticeable blush tinted her cheeks. "Something like that, I suppose…"

Natsuki grinned mischievously. "So… that's like your weakness?"

"Ara, Natsuki's being quite nosy, isn't she?" Shizuru retorted playfully. "Does _she _have any weaknesses?"

"Nope, I'm invincible," the bluenette boasted with confidence. "What about you? You look pretty young for someone taking over a business. You must be pretty amazing yourself."

"Why, you flatter me, Natsuki," Shizuru expressed with charm. "But I am only 21."

"Really?" Natsuki exclaimed in surprise. "I thought you were 18 or somewhere around that age."

"Ara, is Natsuki disappointed that I'm so old?" Shizuru teased.

"No, no, that's not it at all!" Natsuki said. "I guess that was sort of a compliment. You DO look younger than you actually are."

"How about Natsuki?" the brunette inquired. "Does she also present a misleading image to perception or does she fit her age group account?"

"I don't know, you tell me," Natsuki said. "I'm 20."

"Ara, that's quite the surprise, I thought you were 16."

"WHAT? If I were 16, I wouldn't even be allowed to escort you down the street!" Natsuki exclaimed, slightly miffed.

Shizuru chuckled again. "I was just kidding. It was my way of saying that Natsuki looks much younger than she actually is, too. Besides, when Natsuki makes those cute childish expressions, she actually reminds me of a 10-year-old."

The bluenette sighed. "Well, there go any hopes of maturing for me…"

"Ara, I didn't mean to sadden Natsuki…" Shizuru said with remorse.

"Huh? What? Not at all, I'm fine!" the escort reassured. "I-I'm almost done with your legs."

Shizuru glanced back and regarded Natsuki with expectant eyes. "Will Natsuki be doing the front, too?"

The escort rolled her eyes and grinned. "You're perfectly capable of doing that part yourself."

Shizuru feigned disappointment. "Oh, well, I tried…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The teen of the sapphire-colored hair finished applying the sunblock on the bits of her skin that were still left unprotected and then wrapped it up. She turned to watch Shizuru, who seemed detached from the entire world as she viewed the ocean with a serene expression. She had put her blouse back on, since the bluenette had told her that it would take a while for her to apply the sunscreen. Natsuki smiled at this sight. She didn't know why, but seeing her client with such a peaceful look made her feel at ease, as well.

_It doesn't even feel like I'm working_, Natsuki thought.

She crawled over to her bag and checked the time on her cellular phone. She figured it was about time to bring Shizuru out of her trance before the day left them. She grabbed the bottle of lotion and ambled over to Shizuru's side, plopping down next to her.

"Wha'cha thinking 'bout?" the escort inquired.

"How good Natsuki looks in that swimsuit," Shizuru slyly replied with a side-glance.

"Ugh, I'm putting my shirt back on," the bluenette muttered, beginning to get up.

The heiress almost immediately struck out her hand and grasped Natsuki's wrist, effectively halting her. The escort glanced back at her curiously.

"I was thinking about how those salty waters would feel," Shizuru shared honestly. "Would Natsuki care to make me company as I try them out?"

The other girl grinned at her incredulously. "It's just water. I mean, haven't you ever been to a beach before?"

"I have," Shizuru replied, a bit embarrassed. "I have never swum in them, however. Only in pools, for safety measures."

_Well, congratulations, me, it's not everyday you realize you're a bitch…_

The bluenette lowered Shizuru's wrist-hold into her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "Then let's go together."

The heiress nodded and Natsuki helped her up. They both put on their sandals and walked down the sandy soil to meet with the lapping waters of the sea.

"Up close, it's much more beautiful," Shizuru commented in awe.

"True," opinioned Natsuki, squatting down and closer to the water. "There's nothing to be afraid of, really. It's just like the water in the pool. Except, of course, it sometimes carries little sea critters, it's much raspier than pool water, it's salty and you don't want to swallow it—and, okay, I'm just making it worse, aren't I?"

Shizuru's smile was visibly twitching. "No… no, it's quite alright. You're just being honest… how big are these sea critters? Oh, my, a shark will not be popping out of the waters to eat me, will it?"

"Ha ha ha, no, you're overreacting," Natsuki said heartily. Her expression suddenly turned sullen and foreboding, though. "However, do try and refrain from bleeding in the waters."

Shizuru turned pale.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding," Natsuki reassured with a dismissive wave of the hand.

The heiress hung her head and her shoulders began to quake slightly.

Natsuki watched the strange act unfold and called out with uncertainty, "Shizuru...?"

Her client remained unresponsive as this time one of her hands worked its way onto her face and blocked Natsuki's view of her expression.

_Oh, shit, she couldn't be…_ Natsuki thought in disbelief.

A soft sniffle and short sob confirmed her feared musings and she jumped up from her squatting position in a hasty panic.

"O-oi… Shizuru… you're kidding, right?" she began nervously. She'd never comforted anyone before, much less a crying maiden.

_How the hell am I supposed to do this? _Natsuki thought helplessly. _Honesty is the best policy, yeah?_

"Shizuru, I was just playing around with you," Natsuki said softly. "There are no sharks here… and, besides, the hunky lifeguards are here to save you if something bad happens!"

Another sniffled and a muffled, "Ikezu…Natsuki would leave me to the lifeguards…"

"Huh? Wait, no, that's not what I meant!" Natsuki quickly corrected herself. "As in, you're my problem before theirs! No, wait, that came out wrong. You're my burden—no!—responsibility and… and… I can't do this! Just, please, stop crying!"

Shizuru's shoulders shook even more violently.

_I'm sooooooooooooooo fired, _Natsuki thought with dread. _Well, it was nice while it lasted._

Just as she was about to announce that she was going to quit, Natsuki noticed that her client's shoulders shook, yes, but the noises that she emitted were not those of weeping but… laughter?

"Shizuru…?" the bluenette asked with uncertainty. Had she gone cuckoo?

"Ara, Natsuki's so gullible," she chuckled out, beaming at her escort. "I was just playing with her."

The tricked girl's face fell in disbelief, but she immediately recovered and with a glare mumbled out, "Har har, not funny."

"Ara, Natsuki shouldn't be acting so mad, it was fair payback," Shizuru reminded, clasping her hands behind her back innocently.

"Fine," the bluenette reluctantly admitted, minimizing the intensity of her glare. "I guess I deserved that." There were a few seconds of silence. "But you didn't have to go that far. I mean, you seriously freaked me out!"

"However, Natsuki was the one to initiate all this," Shizuru said breezily.

The two would have continued their argument had it not been for a rather forceful push from a sudden wave wetting the sand and slipping them off balance, causing gravity to take its toll and make them fall over into the still running waters.

Once the artful bits of water that managed to escape the wave's consistent tiding returned to their mother source, Shizuru and Natsuki found themselves partially drenched and sitting on the wet sand.

Natsuki displayed a deadpanned expression while Shizuru a mildly distressed one.

"Ara… I'm all wet…" Shizuru said, her features showing surprise as she inspected herself.

"I'm all muddy…" Natsuki grumbled, turning to Shizuru.

Her eyes widened.

_OH MY GAWD! ! !_

The escort's jaw dropped at the sight of her client.

_Shizuru… wet shirt…. Mm… nice angle… yeah… wait, no! Bad thoughts, me, bad! _

"Natsuki…?"

The bluenette stopped her gawking and instantly jumped to her feet. She extended a hand out to Shizuru.

"T-the water was freezing, huh?" she said nervously.

"Indeed," the brunette agreed, taking her escort's hand.

_Hmm? Shizuru's hands are cold, _Natsuki thought curiously, but then brushed the thought aside. _Must be 'cause of the freezing water. _

"But Natsuki was right. It is just like pool water," commented Shizuru, completely bringing Natsuki back to the real world

"Yeah, except that pool water doesn't trip you when you're least expecting it," Natsuki said sarcastically as she pulled her client up.

"It seems the water played us, as well," Shizuru opinioned mirthfully.

"Too bad you can't get back at water"—_unless you pee in it_—"So…um… I think you should change out of that blouse or at least leave it to dry."

"It's quite alright," Shizuru assured. "It was about time I took it off, either way. We are, after all, at the beach."

"Yeah."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As Shizuru removed her clothing beneath the parasol, Natsuki idly watched the glistening ocean under the sun.

"Are you about done there, Shizuru?" Natsuki called loudly over the rest of the voices at the beach.

"Ara, Natsuki should learn to be more patient," Shizuru responded with a smile that the bluenette wasn't able to catch since her back was turned on her.

Natsuki began to draw random stick figures with her toes on the wet sand when she was, suddenly, once again thrown off balance by an unidentified…something.

_Seriously, what does the Universe have against me? _Natsuki thought as she fell.

Her followed mental cussing was abruptly cut off by the wet sensation riding on her right cheek.

_What the…? _

She turned her head to the source and was met with another lick at the face.

Once she pinpointed what it was that was slobbering her, her features softened and she released a stifled giggle.

"He-hey, down, boy," she laughed, slowly rising to a sitting position, not minding that her legs were once again muddy.

The pup with golden fur cocked its head to the side as Natsuki smiled at him. She then heard a couple of splashing steps growing louder in volume as they made their way towards her.

"Hey, there, sorry," a gruff, apologetic voice resounded. "Was he bothering you?"

The bluenette glanced upwards to meet with the turquoise-colored eyes of a young man.

"Ah, no, not at all," Natsuki said with a polite smile.

"Oh, well, anyhow, you'll have to forgive him," he said, extending out a helping hand to her. "Pancho here has a hard time keeping his paws off beautiful ladies."

The bluenette forced her smile to retain in place, ignoring his earlier comment and offered hand as she rose to her feet by her own self. She petted the mutt's head and said, "Judging by his looks, it seems to me you've got a young Labrador Retriever in your hands."

The guy was momentarily perplexed by how the girl didn't succumb to his charm, but he immediately recovered and smiled. "Ah, yeah, I'm the proud owner of a very special breed of dog."

The dog began to gnaw at Natsuki's fingers and she chuckled. "He's very energetic, it seems."

The guy laughed with her. "Yeah, though he acts all calm, cute, and innocent on TV."

"TV?" the bluenette repeated, trying to process what was just said.

The young man grinned cheekily, chest puffing up with pride as he said, "Yeah, he's the one you see on those Toilet Paper commercials."

"You don't say…" Natsuki was mildly impressed, as she went back to get a closer look at the dog. "I'm not from here, though, so I've never seen those commercials."

The guy's face fell. "Oh… w-well, still, you're currently petting a Hollywood dog!"

"I don't feel any different," the escort honestly said as she went to scratch the dog behind the ears.

The boy smiled and kneeled down to, _coincidentally_, end up scratching the same place. Their hands met, and then, their eyes did as well.

"Ara, what a cute puppy!" a girl with a British ring to her accent exclaimed, settling down betwixt the other two, effectively separating them, and ruffling the mutt's fur with abandon.

The guy was startled, but after carefully scrutinizing the newcomer, he once again flashed his princely smile. _Two Asian babes! JACKPOT! _

"His name is Pancho," he said smoothly.

"That is a very adorable name," Shizuru cooed, tapping the dog's nose.

The guy began, flicking his hair back, "But I'm sure yours is even more so—"

"He's a Labrador Retriever," Natsuki informed.

"Why, he'll grow up to be quite big, isn't that so?" Shizuru commented.

"Uh—?" The guy said, but was cut off again by…

"Yup," the bluenette agreed. "They're a very popular breed. Not to mention, loyal to their masters and very friendly to others."

"That certainly makes them wonderful dogs!" Shizuru praised.

"Err—"

"I was actually thinking of getting one myself," Natsuki shared with a grin. "But dogs are expensive, and I doubt I'd have the money to support it."

"He-hey—"

"What a pity," Shizuru said ruefully. "I'm sure Natsuki would make a remarkable master."

"Um—?"

"N-no, I wouldn't…" Natsuki modestly admitted, scratching the back of her head.

"Oh, I know she would," the tawny-haired heartthrob said with a kind smile.

"I THINK SO, TOO!" the guy shouted, finally working himself into the conversation and gaining their attention.

However, the highly regarded heiress was not very happy about his intervention. "Ara, who might you be again?"

The guy cleared his throat. "My name's Jason. How about you—?"

"Ara, Mr. Jason, your dog is very cute," Shizuru complimented. "However, I'm not quite sure where I recall reading a sign which dictated 'no dogs allowed on Santa Monica beach.' Would you happen to?"

The guy began to sweat profusely and his winner smile faltered. "I-I-I don't remember ever seeing a sign that said—"

"Oh, though I'm certain I saw one," Shizuru insisted, beaming at him. "Or… do you mean to say my memory is failing me, Mr. Jason?"

"WHAT? No! Never! I don't mean to insult you!" he quickly said, flailing his arms hastily in denial. "I'm sure you're right! Absolutely right!"

"Ara, I'm glad we agree," the heiress continued with her ensorcelling smile. "I wouldn't want little Pancho here to get in trouble, so how about you take him to the Dog Zone? Which I believe is in another beach."

"B-but—"

"Oh, my, is that the lifeguard I see approaching?" Shizuru wondered aloud, gazing beyond Jason's broad shoulder.

The young man panicked and he retrieved his dog before dashing off with a "See you!"

The mahogany-haired girl turned to find her escort staring wistfully in the direction Jason had just recently ran off to.

"He left…" Natsuki said with a rather longing sigh.

"Ara, did Natsuki wish to spend more time with that gentleman?" Shizuru queried with an impassive tone.

"…Huh?" the bluenette raised her eyes to meet with questioning crimson orbs. "Whom are you talking about? I was referring to Pancho…"

The brunette raised her eyebrows and smiled widely. "Aw, I just _knew _Natsuki harbored a soft spot for doggies!"

Natsuki's eye twitched. "Oh, no! We're not going over this again! No way!"

They heard a whistle, and turned to meet the source.

"You sure sent that guy running with the dick between his legs," Nao commented, glancing in the direction Jason had scrambled to.

"Ara, I do believe that's always been there," Shizuru corrected politely.

"If you're going to recite an idiom, do it right," Natsuki chided, disturbed.

"Oh, no, I meant every word," Nao said with a smirk.

Natsuki's brows furrowed but then she released a smirk of her own, as well, "So, how did the search for discovery go?"

The red-head's smug grin was wiped from her face as she narrowed her eyes dangerously at Natsuki. "I decided that I like my job, so I don't care about stardom anymore."

"Mm-hmm," the bluenette hummed, clearly unconvinced.

Nao scoffed and walked over to where their parasol was set up in an "I don't give a damn whether or not you believe me" kind of way.

The other two watched the girl head for their spot and, after a few more steps were taken, followed.

"Yuuki-han, I've been wondering about something for quite a while now," Shizuru piped up.

"Hmm?" Nao acknowledged, not bothering to glance back.

"Yeah, I've been wondering the same thing…" Natsuki joined.

The photographer's temple popped out comically and she growled, "Then what is it already?"

"Why are you walking around with a huge watermelon?"

The red-head dropped said fruit from the hands she had been carrying it in and turned around, falling into a sitting position on her towel.

"Long story."

"Then summarize," the escort demanded bluntly.

Nao frowned but complied either way. "I tried out in this casting they were holding—"

"No way!" Natsuki said with disbelief. "What commercial, series, movie, or whatever! ?"

"I dunno." Nao shrugged.

Natsuki's face fell. "Then why did you audition?"

"Showbiz is all the same," said Nao casually. "Anyhow, long story short, I didn't get the part so I was given a huge watermelon as a consolation prize."

"A _watermelon_?" Natsuki repeated incredulously.

"Hey," Nao said defensively, holding a palm up. "Compared to what the other girls received, I think I got a pretty good deal. I mean, this one chick got a tray of chimichangas and I was like 'you cheap-ass basta—'!"

"Chimichangas?"

"My thoughts exactly," Nao agreed, nodding.

"Nah, I don't want to hear anymore," bluenette said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Whatever, you asked for it," Nao muttered scornfully, taking off her sunglasses but keeping her camera on. She began preparing to move the watermelon into the parasol's range of shade.

"What will Yuuki-han be doing with it?" Shizuru questioned curiously.

"It's a watermelon so… I guess, eat it?" Nao concluded with uncertainty.

The statement ignited a very important question in the escort's mind. "Oh, crap, where are we going to eat?"

The red-head folded her arms before her chest and reasoned, "Well, it's a watermelon, we can just eat it he—"

"Not that, I'm talking about real food!"

"Hey, no dissing the fruit of my labor!" the shorter girl defended, rather literally.

The bluenette ignored her fuming companion's comment and turned to her other one.

"What would you like to eat, Shizuru?" she asked.

The older girl's pensive features made it appear as though she were actually cogitating over an imperative matter very deeply, when it was actually a rather simple question. The bluenette, however, didn't mind contemplating Shizuru's thinking face, so she patiently granted her all the time she needed.

"Well," the brunette began with that fascinating accent of hers, "I'm not really that hungry, since we had a rather large breakfast, and we already have a watermelon courtesy of Yuuki-han, so I believe that should be enough to hold us. Unless, of course, Natsuki wishes to eat something else?

"What? No, no, you're right," Natsuki said as she shook her head. "Nao _did _fail miserably in order to earn that watermelon."

"Shut up, it's just that those talent scouts don't know how to spot _real _talent," the red-head countered stubbornly.

"Ara, Yuuki-han, their titles contradict your opinions."

"Are we going to eat this or not?" the red-head queried loudly, flipping the topic.

"Yeah, yeah." Natsuki glanced between her two companions and grinned. "So, who here has a knife?"

Both Nao and her soon cracked up in laughter.

"Ara, I have one." Shizuru reached for her purse and pulled out a knife.

Awkward silence.

"WHAT THE HELL, WHO CARRIES A KNIFE IN THEIR—! ?"

Natsuki slapped a hand over Nao's mouth and squeezed her shoulder to prompt her into a stop.

"Sh-Sh-Shizuru, wh-why do you have a-a knife…?"

The brunette blinked cutely, seemingly not understanding why the other two girls suddenly appeared so shaken. She lightly pressed a button that swiftly pulled out the rest of the tools equipped in her Swiss Army Knife, which caused the latter two to cringe at the sight.

"My Father presented me with this as a gift on my most recent birthday; I treasure it very much," Shizuru said fondly, gazing lovingly at her potential-murder tools.

_What kind of parents _are _they! ? Why can't they give her a normal present like a necklace, pony, or teddy bear? ? ? _the escort thought, bewildered.

"In addition, he said it would come in handy in many occasions."

"Handy in _what _kind of occasions exactly?" Nao questioned incredulously.

Natsuki stepped on her naked foot with her sandal-dressed own and the red-head cursed under her breath.

"W-well, I suppose we could use that or…"—she exchanged glances with them both—"we could open it while playing Watermelon Split."

"Ara, in an American country?" Shizuru said, mildly surprised. "Would that be alright?"

"I'm… I'm fine with it," Nao snarled out, panting angrily and disdainfully looking from Natsuki to her throbbing foot.

The bluenette shrugged, not really getting why Nao seemed so furious. She crossed from the cool zone of shade below the parasol to the scorching ambience beneath the sun. There, her vision panned from left to right horizontally as she searched for a particular object.

"What might Natsuki be doing?" the heiress inquired.

"I'm looking for a stick," Natsuki said as she searched about. "We can't play if we don't have one."

"You wouldn't happen to have a stick in that Mary Poppins bag of yours, would you?" Nao questioned.

"Ara, does Yuuki-han think me a brute?" Shizuru questioned with amusement.

"You have a knife, why not a stick?" Nao replied sarcastically with a shrug, and then turned back in Natsuki's direction. "You know, this is a beach, so it shouldn't be that hard to find a stick."

"Please, Nao, you can't just expect a stick to magically wash up on shore."

Suddenly, a stick magically washed up on shore.

The bluenette's eye twitched in disbelief. "What the—life is not **this **convenient!"

Nao strode over to where the wooden stick lied and picked it up before the waves struck and the water had a chance to take it away again.

"Let's not question our luck and get our game on already," Nao said, heading back to their spot to retrieve the watermelon.

Natsuki stared at the ocean and Nao incredulously for a few seconds longer, registering what had just occurred, before shrugging and deciding not to dwell on it for much more time than necessary. She briskly walked back to the spot, too.

Nao grunted as she lifted the heavy fruit from the ground, rendering a funny sight, and arduously worked her way from under the parasol to a few feet away from it. Once she calculated having fairly distanced herself from the spot, she dropped the watermelon onto the sandy ground and wiped the sweat off her forehead before washing her hands in an incoming wave.

"Kuga, bring the stick!" the red-head demanded.

"What might the magic word be, Yuuki-han?"

"NOW!"

"Don't try to reason with her, Shizuru," Natsuki said with a sigh as she picked up the stick. "She's hopeless." The bluenette beckoned for her client to follow her, and the latter complied, after grabbing a handkerchief from her bag.

The two reached Nao, who was impatiently tapping her naked foot on the wet sand as she waited from them to catch up.

"Okay, so, we'll all be doing it?" the escort asked, looking around.

"No, we'll look like morons, so only you'll be doing it," the red-head bluntly said as she shoved the handkerchief she snatched from Shizuru's hands into Natsuki's chest roughly.

"What? Why? What's the point if I don't have competition?" Natsuki complained.

"The point is: we crack the thing open and eat it. It was your idea," Nao explained. "Besides, I did my part. I brought the watermelon. And you wouldn't make Fujino do all the work, would you?"

The bluenette glared at the photographer for long seconds before reluctantly taking the handkerchief and huffing out a "Fine, I'll do it."

"Let me help you with that, Natsuki," Shizuru offered, gently slipping the handkerchief, which would serve as a blindfold, from her escort's hands to help her put it on.

The beautiful heiress circled Natsuki until she found her back. She then enveloped Natsuki in her arms, without making contact, as she lifted the folded handkerchief into the girl's line of vision, effectively blinding her.

"Is Natsuki able to see anything?" Shizuru inquired, leaning over her escort's shoulder to see her face.

"Uh… no… nothing," Natsuki responded, feeling a little weird at not being able to see, especially when she felt Shizuru close when her voice appeared distant.

"Good."

The mahogany-haired girl pulled the handkerchief back, pressing into Natsuki's eyes a little, and tied a tight knot at the end.

"There," Shizuru said, sounding satisfied. "That should hold."

"Th…thanks," Natsuki said, rubbing her blindfold-covered eyes. _She didn't have to be so rough at the end…_

"Anyway, here's your stick," Nao said, shoving the wooden thing into Natsuki's chest, as she did the handkerchief.

She spun the unsuspecting bluenette ten times in order to dizzy her up before letting her go without a warning.

"Wh-whoa!" Natsuki yelped, about to fall but catching herself. "You only had to spin me 'round three times, you know!"

"It's more fun when the player is completely disoriented," Nao said nonchalantly.

"Ara, it is rather entertaining."

"Wha—? Shizuru, don't you agree with her, too!" the escort whined, flailing her arms about in the direction she heard her client's voice last.

"Just start feeling for the watermelon already!" Nao demanded impatiently.

"Okay, okay, I'm going, sheesh!" Natsuki retorted loudly.

She began to walk aimlessly around the sandy area. Some parts were dry and hot, while others were cool and wet. She tapped the stick onto the sand, hoping to soon stop feeling grains of earth and instead something more solid. She repeated this action for several times until her growing irritation finally hit its peak.

"A little _help_ here?" Natsuki hissed.

"Oh, right"—Natsuki sidled right—"Go left."

"You just said _right_," the bluenette argued, arms akimbo.

"As in, _Oh, right_," Nao explicated. "It was an expression, Kuga. Don't take things so literally."

"I will once you stop being so confusing."

"Kuga, I'm your eyes right now, don't get me mad or I'll lead you into a pit hole!"

"There _are _no pit holes!"

"I can dig one up just for you!"

"I'd like to see that! "

"Well, too bad, you're blind!"

"Discrimination!"

"Verbal abuse!"

"Ara, I would certainly appreciate it if Yuuki-han and Natsuki stopped arguing and continued this **friendly **game."

Nao didn't need Natsuki's currently heightened senses to detect the obvious emphasis the heiress stressed on the word _friendly_. The bluenette was very glad she was blinded at the moment. She felt too ashamed, embarrassed, and… well…afraid to face Shizuru, judging by the icy tone she used. Or at the least that was how she perceived it.

"So, left, right?"

"Right, left!"

"So… left?"

Nao decided that she'd stop using the word _right _for the remainder of the game. "Yes."

The bluenette obediently followed directions and turned left. She began to feel for the watermelon, scanning her immediate vicinity with her wooden stick as a true blind person would with their cane. As she performed this action, she began to idly cogitate about how she'd much prefer a guide dog in lieu of the useless stick while in her state of blindness, but life literally gave her a stick, with the object washing up on shore and everything, so she'd have to make do with that.

Finally, Natsuki felt something other than just sand.

"Hey, I think I found it!" the escort cheered excitedly.

"That's a rock," Shizuru informed bluntly, feeling slightly sorry for the girl.

"Oh…" Natsuki became disheartened just as quickly as she brightened up.

"Go right now," Nao said.

"Right now? Where do you want me to go right now?" the blunette inquired, aggravated.

The red-head face-palmed. She promised herself she wouldn't use the term and here she was, using it again. It was necessary so…

"Go. To. Your. Right," Nao said, almost as if she were spelling a word.

The blindfolded player lightly nodded and followed directions.

"Keep going straight," Nao shouted for her to hear.

Natsuki continued as instructed. She sensed the gritty earth beneath her feet begin to grow hotter, but she dismissed the feeling since the heat wasn't really bothering her as now she was focused only on finding that watermelon. The escort's shrewd client noticed that Natsuki was actually walking farther away from the object she was struggling to locate with each step.

"Yuuki-han, might you be aware that—?"

Nao snickered, sporting a mischievous grin. "No worries, trust me, this will be fun." She increased the projection of her voice again. "Keep going straight, Kuga! You're almost there!"

The bluenette gradually drew closer to where a sad excuse for a sandcastle was being built by small, innocent, and amateur children. The infants did not detect Natsuki's presence until a foreboding shadow was projected over their sandcastle and they looked up to see that a blindfolded person with a stick was towering over them as well as blocking their sunlight.

Considering these were children, it was a rather scary sight, so they gulped, remained quiet, and awaited what the woman would do next.

Nao's devilish smirk grew wider. "Okay, STRIKE!"

The escort lifted her wooden stick as far and high as possible and hit what she thought was the watermelon with a tremendous force. She raised an eyebrow as soon as she was done. She was expecting the watermelon to deem a bit of a challenge to crack, not to be this… bland.

Moments of non-reaction later…

"MOMMY!" a little girl cried out.

"The blind girl with the stick killed our sandcastle!" a young boy whined.

"WAAAA!" another girl cried.

Hearing all this, Natsuki began to panic.

_W-what's going on? _She thought nervously, holding her stick close and searching for any hinting noises.

"HA HA HA HA HA!" she perceived Nao's hysterical laughter. "Did… ha ha…. Did you see that, Fujino! ? Pff… priceless!"

"Ara, that was mean," she heard her client exclaim. "The situation is not looking too good over there, Yuuki-han. We should probably go and aid Natsuki. After all, she just destroyed their sandcastle."

Natsuki blinked, the cause of the chaos processing in her mind. She cursed lightly and hastily pulled her blindfold off to see just what exactly she had done.

_Oh, crap, _she thought miserably.

The kids' sandcastle was completely obliterated. Now it was nothing but wet sand that was already drying up. The guilt-ridden escort glanced nervously at the children, who were still crying and calling for their parents. She quickly got on her knees, lowering herself to their height level, and began to apologize. In English, of course.

"I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! Please don't cry!" she pleaded. "I-I'll build you a new one so please stop calling your parents! I promise! I-I-I'll even start right now. See?"

She grabbed the children's toy tools and began to clear the ground of the remnants of the previous sandcastle. The children watched quietly as she flung her stick aside and rushed to scoop some sand up and into the pail to begin molding out a pile that would become one of the castle's chambers. She cursed in her mind when she realized the sand was too dry to stick.

"Is Natsuki in need of assistance?" a sweet voice filled the frustrated girl's ears.

The bluenette turned, as the children titled their heads upwards, to get a glimpse of the goddess that stood before them. The sun's rays only served to enhance her brilliance.

"Ooooh," the children said in awe.

"Shizuru…" The two stared at each other for a few seconds before Natsuki lifted one of the pails available to her client's face. "Actually, yeah, could you please fill this up with water?"

Shizuru cocked her head to the side charmingly. "Certainly." She took the pail from Natsuki's hands, grazing them with her fingers lightly, and then dashed off in the opposite direction to fill the container with beach water.

The bluenette was left with the children, who were still eyeing her curiously. She felt very conspicuous, and glanced around aimlessly before smiling at them awkwardly to ease the mood. She heard footsteps growing in volume as someone approached them, and turned her head to identify the individual.

"Kuga, what are you doing?" Nao asked, camera hanging by the neck.

The escort glared at the source of her troubles. "I'm making up for what you made me do."

Nao countered the girl's glare with a defiant look of her own. "I wouldn't have done it if you hadn't stomped my foot."

The bluenette scowled. "I wouldn't have stomped your foot if you hadn't said something rude."

"Well, I wouldn't have said something rude if your client didn't carry a knife around with her!"

"My client wouldn't carry a knife around with her if it didn't have any sentimental value!"

"It wouldn't have any sentimental value if her father hadn't given it to her!"

"Her father wouldn't have given it to her if it hadn't been her birthday!"

"Well, it wouldn't have been her birthday if she hadn't been born!"

"She wouldn't have been born if her parents hadn't met and—"

"Ara~" a voice politely intercepted. "I do believe Yuuki-han and Natsuki are straying from the topic…"

The escort and the photographer stood petrified by the ominous mist that seemingly shrouded Shizuru's being. The two exchanged glances, gulped, and instantly dropped their discussion.

"S-so you got the water?" the bluenette asked in a still quite shaky voice.

"Yes," the heiress said simply, the dangerous mist immediately evaporating as she handed Natsuki the water-full pail.

"T-thanks," the emerald-eyed girl said as she quickly grasped the pail by the handle and trotted back to the sandcastle spot.

As Natsuki worked on rebuilding the sandcastle she destroyed, getting Nao to aid her in its construction, the children's gaze vacillated back and forth between the beautiful girl of the bewitching hyacinth eyes to the slow sculpturing of their earlier fabrication. The little boy was more fascinated by the sandcastle than the girl, so he scurried off to watch the process Natsuk and Nao went through while making the sandcastle. The two little girls found the idea of spending time with Shizuru to be far more attractive, so they skipped her way and remained glued to her person for the entire time.

"Phew!" Natsuki breathed out in exhaustion, wiping the sweat off her forehead. "There. It's done."

"Finally!" Nao exclaimed, slumping backwards onto the sand. She was already dirty anyway, so she didn't care.

"Wow, it's so big and cool!" the little boy cheered, jumping up and down in excitement.

Natsuki's shoulders shook as she laughed cockily. "Well, yeah, I was taught well!" She grinned confidently.

"Who taught you?" the boy asked in awe and wonder.

There was a pause. "Oh, it was my… this guy, no one special. He was good at stuff like this."

The little girls came running back to where the trio was, pulling Shizuru along with them as they each held one of her hands. Their eyes sparkled when they fell upon the sandcastle.

"My, it looks so wonderful," Shizuru praised, rewarding the trio with a dazzling smile.

"Oooooh, it's so pretty!" the youngest one squealed.

"Yeah, like a princess' castle!" the oldest one commented.

The bluenette and the red-head blinked.

"What…?" Natsuki uttered weakly. "Y-you mean like a King's or a Knight's castle, right? Or even the lord of pure evil's castle, right? N-not a princess'…." She trailed off, fiddling with her fingers and wearing a pout on her lips.

"No, it's definitely a princess' castle," the boy expressed veraciously, impaling the bluenette's pride with an invisible spear. "But a dragon lives in it!"—Natsuki's ears perked up, and the two little girls listened intently—"And… and… the mean lord of all evil has taken over it and is forcing the princess to marry her!"—Nao grinned and shook her head—"But the awesome knight slash prince slash chef slash poet slash doctor slash astronaut slash samurai slash lawyer slash kick-boxer will defeat him and the dragon and rescue the princess!"

"Yay, hurray for the princess' rescuer!" one of the girl's cheered.

"S-so, yeah, that's the story behind this castle," Natsuki supported, nodding profusely with arms folded.

"Thank you so much, Miss Nao and Natsuki!" the little girls gratefully said as they ran towards the aforementioned two and jumped them.

"Hey, I helped, too!" the little boy cried, fuming.

Shizuru raised her eyebrows with intrigue and sauntered over to where the boy stood, swaying her hips as she did so. She leaned down to cup his chin in her hand and lift his face upwards towards her own, planting a tender kiss on his cheek.

"You did a great job as well," Shizuru congratulated softly, letting go and then flashing him one of her trademark© smiles.

The boy wasn't able to formulate a response. He merely stuttered out incoherent words as his face flushed redder by the second.

"So, what do you guys say?"—The red-head piped up, taking the camera and plunging it forward—"For the memories?"

Natsuki regarded Nao and her camera with wariness, but after assuming that there really was no harm in it, agreed. "Sure."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After posing by the sandcastle for the picture, the kids once again thanked the girls for the help and told them that they were going to build a fortress and bridge around the structure now. Natsuki said that they were able to build a fortress on their own, and so she and her companions said good-bye to the children and they, in turn, saw them off with a smile.

"Ugh, I'm even hungrier now," Nao said, sighing.

"Your fault," Natsuki replied. "If you'd just led me to the watermelon, we wouldn't have wasted so much time."

"Ara, but Natsuki seemed to enjoy building that sandcastle," the heiress commented slyly.

"Huh? N-no way, I was just excited for the kids," the escort said dismissively, avoiding eye contact with her client.

"Anyhow, are we going to crack this watermelon or not?" Nao questioned impatiently, standing beside her giant fruit, which was surprisingly still where they had last left it.

"Oh, we're cracking it, alright," Natsuki said dangerously, producing the wooden stick from behind her back and shoving it into Nao's chest as the girl had done to her earlier. "But _you're _doing it this time."

Shizuru was again the one to tie the handkerchief over the player's eyes, since she did such a good job on Natsuki, completely blacking out her vision and all. Once she was done, she left to stand beside Natsuki.

"Oi, Kuga," the red-head said gruffly.

"Hmm?" Natsuki replied aloofly.

"No funny business," Nao warned.

"'Course not," Natsuki assured with a roguish grin that the photographer was not able to capture.

The now lofty bluenette strode over to where the blinded red-head stood. She placed her hands firmly on her shoulder and then pushed one of them to get her to begin spinning. As Nao did to her, she whirled her ten times around, letting go without notice, which caused the dizzy photographer to trip once she took her first step.

The escort snickered. "Oi, Nao, get up and find that watermelon."

Nao grumbled out an intelligible response and began tapping her stick over the sandy ground to feel for the massive fruit. She copied and repeated all of Natsuki earlier actions, relying on her senses to guide her. She finally grew annoyed with her pointless search and demanded help. Natsuki grinned knowingly and began instructing directions to her. Nao followed them obediently, thinking that the bluenette was too much of a goody to play a dirty trick on her.

"How close am I now?"

"Oh, you're very close," Natsuki said in a sing-song tone. "Keep going."

The photographer felt the soil beneath begin to cool, and her ears perceived the sounds of waves. She grew suspicious.

"Where exactly did you put the fruit, Kuga?" she questioned accusingly.

"I can't tell you," the escort said with a smirk.

"That would be against the rules," Shizuru added sweetly.

"Fine," Nao mumbled out, disgruntled. "Do I keep going straight?"

"Yup."

As the red-head resumed her walk into the dictated direction, Natsuki kept an eye out for the ocean waves. When she saw Nao getting too close to the waters, she told her to stop. From the corner of her eye, the bluenette caught a mighty wave beginning to form in the distance, which would certainly make a big splash. Her devilish smirk grew wider. She ordered Nao to lift up her wooden stick and prepare to strike. The red-head grinned as she readied her muscle strength in anticipation.

"DO IT NOW!"

Nao elevated her stick and swiftly brought it down to where she thought the watermelon was. But the difficult-to-crack fruit she was expecting to contend with never met her stick. In fact, nothing met the stick. And since nothing met the stick, all the strength she had put into her swing only managed to bury her stick in the wet sand. The stick was supporting Nao, but it wasn't able to hold her for any longer than three seconds before it slipped, causing Nao to fall face-first onto the ground

Then, the massive wave Natsuki was already expecting finally crashed with a mighty roar and its impacted water current trashed thickly over Nao.

"HA HA HA HA HA!" Natsuki laughed like a maniac, directing a quivering finger at the fallen girl and holding her cramping abdomen with the other hand. "HA HA HA! DID YOU SEE THAT, SHIZURU! ? AH HA HA HA, I GOT HER GOOD! HA HA HA—OUCH, MY RIB!"

Shizuru honestly tried hard not to laugh, but she _did _chuckle demurely. After all, the sight was too funny to resist.

Nao lifted herself up with her forearms, coughing and spitting out the gritty sand and salty water she was close to swallowing. She furiously pulled off her blindfold and shot Natsuki a glare so intense that the girl felt something pierce right through her. And though it did lower her mirth, it didn't fully stop her relentless laughter.

She approached Nao and offered her a hand.

"What was that?" Nao spat acidly.

"Funny."

"No," the red-head said rigidly, slapping the girl's hand away. "That was low."

"No," Natsuki argued, massaging her stinging hand. "That was payback."

"Payback for what?" Nao rose slowly onto her feet.

"For making me hit that sandcastle," the bluenette reminded with a scowl.

"But that was payback for stomping my foot!" Nao retorted. "You can't get payback for payback!"

"Who says?"

"It's an unspoken agreement!" Nao said as if it was obvious.

"Well, I didn't know about it," Natsuki expressed stubbornly.

"Now we're uneven again, you know that, right?" the photographer revealed.

"So?" the escort queried breezily.

"So… I'll have to get you back," Nao declared ominously, digging a pointed finger into Natsuki's chest. "And I will… just not now."

Having said that, Nao whipped around and her eyes scanned the beach in search of the watermelon. She glanced at the heiress and then back at the watermelon.

"So, since both of us failed to break the thing," Nao began, arms akimbo, "maybe we should let Fujino have a go?"

"No."

"Sure!"

"_What_?" the bluenette was startled to hear Shizuru's cheerful voice chirp up behind her. "Y-you want to give it a try, Shizuru? I-I just figured you weren't into these kind of things so…"

"Why, I never said I had a problem with them," the enchanting girl said. She walked over to Nao, who was picking up the stick and handkerchief she rid herself of in her rage. She handed them to the arriving heiress with a grin and waited for her to ready herself.

Natsuki felt it was only polite to repay the favor and so she helped tie and adjust Shizuru's blindfold. She delicately handed her the stick and spun her around three times. Nao complained about how different her treatment was compared to Shizuru's, but Natsuki disregarded her and set her client off with a light push.

The tawny-haired heartthrob's stance was quite confident as she sought out the watermelon, which Nao had just recently relocated. Her strategy was no different than her escort's and the photographer's, but she did appear to execute them a tad more gracefully than the other two, who had just been swinging the stick about while hoping to get fortuitous and run into their target.

Nao and Natsuki both shouted directions to her, and their instructions were in splendid consonance as they echoed each other until Shizuru finally arrived before the watermelon.

"Hit right!" ordered Nao from one of Shizuru's side profiles.

"Hit left!" commanded Natsuki from the other.

As soon as the phrases left their lips, they glared at each other.

"What are you on about, Kuga?" the red-head questioned aggressively. "Do you want her to hit the watermelon or not?"

The bluenette countered, "Of course I do, which is why she has to go _left_."

"No, she has to go _right_," Nao argued, turning to Shizuru. "Just follow my instructions, Fujino, and hit right."

"Shizuru, don't listen to her!" Natsuki shouted. "Hit left, okay?"

"Well, I suppose—"

"You're not going to hit anything if you listen to her," Nao warned.

"Then where should I—?"

"Are you kidding me?" Natsuki spat, and then turned to the blindfolded player pleadingly. "Shizuru, you don't believe her, do you?"

"At the moment, I—"

"Fujino, would I lie to you?" Nao suddenly queried with a grave tone.

"I don't believe I'm in any place to say as of yet," Shizuru honestly responded.

The bluenette stuck out her tongue childishly at Nao. She cleared her throat now, as it was her turn to win over her client, following Nao's failure.

"Shizuru… do you trust me?"

It was like a corny movie flashback sequence. The reminiscent heiress began to recall all the memories she had, thus far, shared with Natsuki, which let's admit, hadn't really been that many, but who's counting? However, she did sign a contract in which she agreed to be under her escort's care for as long as it took to arrive to England, so didn't that also symbolize all the trust she'd already embedded into that person whom she, at the time, hadn't yet met? And once she did become acquainted with the young girl who was going to be in charge of escorting her halfway throughout the globe, she felt as though they _clicked_. Though she didn't yet exactly understand how they _clicked_, being polar opposites and all, the spark that was ignited upon their meeting couldn't be denied. So...

_Yes, from today onwards…_

"Always," Shizuru said sincerely with a soft smile.

Natsuki smiled widely. "THEN HIT LEFT!"

The heiress nodded, Nao shook her head, and Natsuki cheered. Shizuru lifted the stick, swung it left and struck… absolutely nothing.

"Ara…?" the girl uttered, confused.

Natsuki was befuddled, as well. "I-I told you to hit left, though…?"

Nao sighed and decided it was time to explain this moron what went wrong. "That's exactly what I was trying to tell you. _Your _left is _her _right."

And so, all three of them failed to crack the fruit.

"So…uh… how about that knife?" Natsuki suggested nervously.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The female trio was now each sitting on their respective towels, savoring the taste of the juicy watermelon and allowing it to fill their empty tummies until they could take no more. Every now and then, guys would come and hit on them with cheesy pick-up lines as well as attempt to ask them out with phony charm. They would always ignore them, unless one of them blocked their sun; _that_ could not go by unpunished.

Once they were all done eating the fruit, Nao ordered Natsuki to go find the nearest trash can and throw it away. After some futile complaints, the girl complied to the request and left for a few minutes to throw away the unconsumed chunks of watermelon. Shizuru and Nao held an idle chat as they waited for Natsuki.

When Natsuki returned, all three of them went to play in the ocean shore, splashing each other and swimming about. They even got invited by a group of tourists to join in on a small round of volleyball, since they had set up their own net and all. They spent time with those tourists, and eventually the volleyball game was over and they decided to play a new game: dodge ball. Of course, they switched the current ball with some beach balls so no one would get hurt. When the players were divided into teams and the game started, everyone was having fun.

In the first round, Shizuru got hit by one of the young tourist guys, and soon after she was out, the one that had hit her was out too, and Natsuki thought this outcome peculiar, since aforementioned guy didn't even seem disappointed at having lost. He just went to join the other "outed" people, though standing particularly closer to where Shizuru was.

Natsuki scowled, and Nao took suspicious notice of this.

"Oi, Kuga, keep your head in the game!" she shouted over the beach commotion. "Do you want us to lose?"

"I got it, alright?" Natsuki muttered in aggravation, trying once again to focus on the balls that were coming.

She, as well as Nao, successfully dodged all of them swiftly and with expert ease. She aced the following rounds without even working a sweat, having players "outed" throughout them all, until she caught a glimpse of Shizuru caressing the tourist guy's ivory hair and the latter gazing at her intensely. Before she knew it, one of the balls hit her rather unexpectedly on the side of her head, and she tripped sideways.

"Ouch." One of the remaining tourists winced. "You okay there, mate?"

"I've been better." Natsuki grudgingly got up, her knees and elbows covered in sand.

"Good thing these balls are soft," another said in relief.

"Natsuki!" Shizuru helped her escort make her way out of the playing field and towards where all the other losers—err—"outed" players were sitting and regarding the conclusion of the game.

"What happened?" the heiress asked with concern, grabbing one of the many towels available and patting the sand off Natsuki.

"You sure took quite the fall, buddy," the guy that she had seen with Shizuru commented with a harmless chuckle.

Natsuki, though, took that chuckle as mocking laughter. She held an incoming growl to reverberate in her throat.

"I'm fine, just got distracted," Natsuki mumbled in disgruntlement, taking the towel from Shizuru's hands and cleansing her own self. She regarded the guy with an impassive gaze and said, "At least I lasted longer than you."

The tourist stole a rapid glance from an unsuspecting Shizuru, whose attention was still on the bluenette, and then returned to smile abashedly at Natsuki. "I guess today just wasn't my day, eh?"

_Lies_, Natsuki thought with distaste. After all, he had taken Shizuru out with amazing skill.

"But I suppose it was good that I got outed," he opinioned with a grin, turning to the heiress. "Or else Shizuru here would have had to watch the game in solitude."

_On a first-name basis! ? _Natsuki thought, shocked _Oh, wait, we're in America… makes sense…_

"Why, yes, I was getting rather lonely without Natsuki, since she was still playing," Shizuru said sincerely.

Natsuki's eyes widened a bit and she felt heat shroud her cheeks.

"Steven here was nice enough to make me some company," she continued, turning to said boy and flashing him a bewitching smile.

"So… uh…" Natsuki began uneasily. "W-were you _just _watching the game…?"

"Well, we were," Steven said, "until Shizuru asked me if my hair was of natural color. Apparently, there aren't many people with white hair where she's from."

"I was rather fascinated by his exotic hue of hair," Shizuru admitted excitedly. "I knew it was a strange request, but I still asked if I could touch it."

"I told her she could, but under one condition," he said, getting quite confident now, "as long as I could stare at her equally mesmerizing eyes."

"Seriously…?" Natsuki uttered, eyebrow twitching. _How corny is _that_?_

"Yeah," he said, grinning cheekily. "I mean, it's not every day you find a person with crimson eyes! That's cool!"

"Ara, but however did Natsuki know that we were doing more than just watching the game?" Shizuru questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"E-eh?"

Steven smirked slyly. "Oh, yeah… how _did _you know? I mean, I thought we were supposed to be watching _you_, not vice-versa."

"It…It's not like I _wanted _to watch you guys," Natsuki defended gruffly, folding her arms before her chest. "Peripheral vision is involuntary, you know."

"Why, that is true," the tawny-haired heartthrob agreed.

"Oh, totally overlooked that," Steven said with a shrug.

"I WON!" Nao cheered in glee, being the last one left standing in the sandy playing field.

She turned to Natsuki and spat, "Though no thanks to you, Kuga."

The bluenette had no retorts. After all, she _had _left Nao alone against five other tourists from the opposing team, so she decided to just keep her mouth shut and leave it.

One of the lasting tourists that had been on the opposing team was staring at Nao darkly, and she was quick to pick this up.

"Whaaaat?" Nao jeered at the guy who seemed to be about her age. "Don't be a sore loser!"

The guy approached her languidly, retrieving one of the strewn dodge balls, and said with a grin, "Yo momma's so fat that when I tried to drive around her, I ran out of gas."

He threw the ball lightly at Nao and crossed his arms over his chest with a cocky smirk.

Some of the tourists "oooh'ed" and others whistled, urging the couple on. Natsuki and Shizuru didn't really understand what was going on.

"Oh, is that how it is?"

This was a rematch, but with _another _game.

"Well," Nao began, tapping the ball, "Yo momma's so dumb, she failed a survey."

Another round of "Oooooh"s.

She threw the ball back at the guy with a confident grin of her own.

The guy clicked his tongue and began, "Yo momma's so old that when I told her to act her own age, she died."

He threw the ball back at her and some chuckled.

Nao narrowed her eyes and grinned even wider. "Yo momma's so ugly that the doctor slapped the parents."

Natsuki stifled a laugh and Shizuru shook her head with a smile.

"Yo momma's so fat that I took a picture of her and it's still printing."

A few chuckles were heard.

"Yo momma's so poor that burglars break into her house and leave _her _money."

Laughter boomed from the spectators in the area where the small exchange was taking place.

The guy knew that he wasn't getting as many laughs as Nao, and so tried out his much harsher jokes.

"Yo momma's so bald, she took a shower and got brainwashed."

He threw her the ball, and the crowd went "Oooooh."

Nao dropped her smile and frowned. "Yo momma's so retarded, she sucks on cows to get milk."

The guy received the ball Nao threw and squeezed it. "Yo momma's so _stupid _that she _should _be an inspiration to dumbass morons _everywhere_!"

He threw the ball at Nao, but the outraged girl threw it back at him with untamed strength. "OKAY, THAT'S IT, TAKE THAT BACK, YOU SAG-BALLS!"

The tourists all began to panic when Nao stomped over to where the guy that had challenged her stood and pushed him back onto the ground forcefully only to straddle and begin punching him.

Some didn't do anything, thinking that their fellow tourist deserved it for taking the joke too far. Others wanted to help him, but were too scared of Nao, who had a wild expression etching her features, to do anything. Natsuki immediately stood up and ran over to where Nao sat on top of the guy punching the crap out of him.

"NAO!" she shouted urgently, rapidly grasping the red-head's fist before it delved in for another strike to the guy's already swelling face. "STOP IT!"

She enveloped the photographer's waist and pulled her off the victim with much effort. After a while, Nao's strength gave out and she reluctantly let go, though still incarcerated in Natsuki's hold.

Shizuru left Nao to Natsuki and went to aid the tourists and their injured friend, snapping all of them out of their panic and instructing them on what should be done for him in order to lessen the pain and disinfect the wounds from the sand that had seeped into them.

The assailant struggled to break free from the escort's secure grip on her, but all her strength had dissipated after releasing her fury on the guy, and now she didn't possess much to contend with. When the bluenette felt that Nao had calmed down, she lessened the potency of her hold.

The tourists and other witnesses had amassed by the victim, tending to him. Natsuki and Nao were the only ones secluded from the crowd, though partially because the bluenette coldly glared at whoever tried to approach them.

"Hey…" Natsuki began hoarsely, but then cleared her throat and continued. "What happened back there?"

Nao didn't respond. She chose to find the sandy ground interesting at this particular moment.

Natsuki furrowed her brows. "The dude was just joking, you know. He never meant anything he said. They were all just lies—"

"Exactly."

"Hmm?"

Nao removed Natsuki's hands, which were still at the sides of her waist, and hastily got up, saying through gritted teeth, "The last one wasn't."

And she left to get her camera before heading off to The Pier, leaving Natsuki staring dumbfounded after her.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"I don't know _what's_ up with her," Natsuki expressed with aggravation. "I mean, one minute she's happy, another she's having fun, and next thing you know, she's beating someone up!"

"Ara, Natsuki speaks as though she knew her," Shizuru noted with a faint smile.

"N-no way!" Natsuki denied, and then buried herself within the safe folding of her arms. "I was just saying… I don't get her…"

"And now who knows where she might be," Shizuru said softly as she gazed at the now setting sun.

After the commotion had died down, the tourists apologized for their friend's rude comments, which had mainly caused Nao to get riled up and go ballistic. The two accepted their apology and voiced one of their own in behalf of Nao, who had long since been absent. The tourists realized it was getting late, and only a few people remained, though mostly lovey-dovey couples in order to take a romantic stroll down the beach. They invited Shizuru and Natsuki to come watch KazuKane's concert with them near The Pier, but the two politely refused their offer, telling them that they didn't know who that band was and, besides, they had a plane to catch. After providing a credible excuse, the two groups bid farewell to each other and parted ways.

The heiress suggested they head for the hotel, as well, considering they still needed to pack some things and leave for the airport. Natsuki agreed with her, but asked if Shizuru would allow her to do one more thing before leaving. Of course, the client allowed her escort to take care of whatever she needed to do, but was surprised when Natsuki turned to walk and glanced back at her before beckoning for her to follow along. The hyacinth-eyed girl smiled and gladly ambled beside her escort.

Natsuki had helped her up onto some rocks, which were rough and slippery at the bottom but flat, sustainable, and comfortable at the top. Once they reached it, Natsuki let her client select her place of seating before she did, and once she chose, Natsuki sat down beside her. Shizuru finally inquired about their presence on the rocks, and Natsuki revealed that it was to see the sunset off before they themselves left the beach.

"Natsuki, it's beautiful…" She turned to said girl with glistening, ruby orbs. "How did you know about such place?"

"Well," Natsuki began with a bashful shrug. "When I was returning from buying the parasol, I just saw this rocky structure from afar and went to take a look. The view was awesome and so I decided that I would bring you here later in the day and show it to you, as well." Natsuki scratched the back of her sheepishly. "So, um, you like it?"

"I love it," Shizuru expressed sincerely. "Nowadays it's rather difficult to find simple and genuine sunsets such as this one, since most are blocked by buildings or nature itself."

"Very true," Natsuki said with a light chuckle.

The two returned their gazes to the sunset.

The plasmic clouds morphed into different shapes as they dispersed in direction of the sun, almost as if the fiery star was pulling them down with it as it temporarily bid farewell to this half of the planet and traveled around to light up the other. They swam and vanished in the sky as it gradually replaced the rainbowed cerulean blue, palatinate purple, aureolin yellow, and persian blue with a thick and inky black, which the stars soon decided to glitter over.

The waves continued to wash upon the shore, lapping over themselves and splashing at the bottom of the rock formation, eroding away some of its material. The hypnagogic sounds created made the two currently present desire a longer stay, though the rational side of them knew that was not possible.

Natsuki turned to tell Shizuru it was about time to go, but her mouth opened and no words came out when she fixated her eyes on the sublime figure that rested beneath the stars. It induced a new calming sensation to course through her body, causing her to almost desist from her intended action. Almost.

"Hey, Shizuru," she whispered after she recovered, shaking the girl lightly. "It's time to go."

"Ara," the heiress exclaimed faintly, rousing from her trance. "Forgive me, I lost track of time."

"It's not like any one of us was keeping it," Natsuki jested.

She rose to her feet and began to climb down, holding out her hand to Shizuru above her.

"Need help getting down?" she inquired.

"I'd very much appreciate it," the other responded with a smile, taking the offered hand.

Natsuki aided her client down and the two made their way back to where they had left their parasol and other stuff.

"Natsuki."

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"And, Natsuki..."

"Yeah?"

"If you didn't want me to wear that swimsuit, you could have just said so."

Natsuki tripped.

XXXXXXXX

Overall, the day had been fun.

They had given the purchased parasol away to one of the remaining people at the beach before leaving.

At the moment, the heiress and her escort found themselves once again in a plane, this time with it heading for Denver, Colorado.

They managed to head back to their hotel, shower, finish packing, and take a shuttle back to the airport in more than enough time. The watermelon had surprisingly been enough to hold their stomachs for a whole day, so they figured they'd eat some peanuts or anything that the flight had to offer once they boarded.

After the truculent event, they had never again seen Nao, which Natsuki wasn't really sure how to feel about, since she barely knew the girl but had parted with her on seemingly bad terms. Shizuru and her had kept a formal relationship since meeting, so Natsuki figured her client wasn't really that bummed about her sudden disappearance. But Shizuru treated everyone the same, so even then, Natsuki didn't really believe she was capable of gauging Shizuru's true would-be reaction.

Speaking of Shizuru, she had become quite friendly with the passenger on the window seat, whom Natsuki was too deep in her thoughts to concern herself over. She figured it was just going to be another one of those plane buddies you met and never saw again. Kind of like Nao.

_Dammit, I'm thinking about her again, _Natsuki thought, annoyed. _It just _bothers _me that she left without saying anything. I even bought her a stupid swimsuit! That little ungrateful—ugh! Maybe it _is _for the better. I've wanted her to leave since we met, so I should be happy. You know what? Yes, I'm happy she's finally out of the picture. Now I can just do my job with ease. _

Natsuki contented herself with her resolution and straightened up in her seat with a big smile.

"Ara, Natsuki, there's someone I want you to meet," Shizuru said cheerfully, referring to the passenger by the window seat. "She's quite an interesting person."

Natsuki turned so that she could meet her.

"Natsuki, this is—"

"MAI! ?"

"NATSUKI! ?"

"AND MIKOTO~!

"Will you _please _be qui—YOU! ?"

"NAO! ?"

"Ara, no one says my name?"

"SHIZURU!"

"Ookini."

* * *

70 pgases O_O

Lte's gte oen tihgn srtiahgt, Lday Lcuy Lnigreie deost'n extis. Btu Daies'n Baecwhaer wsa too fra fro teh grlis to go to. I hpeo yuo lkeid tihs caphtre, it raelyl toko me a lnog temi to wiret. Btu yuo'er rvesiws aer waht kpet me mtioavedt! So tahkn yuo vrey mcuh!

I saw that on one of your profiles and thought it was really cool so I decided to try it out myself! (Yup, I check yo' profiles... I'm not a stalker I swear ⊙﹏⊙!)

Oh, and since you guys are so awesome... and great... and forgiving...and merciful...andbecauseIprobablywon'tbeabletoupdateinawhilecuzI'veneverbeentodenvverandsoI'llhavetodosomeresearch

I HAVE A PRESENT FOR YA :D! Go check my profile, it should be there!

Thanks so much for your constant support! It makes me really happy! Feedback would be very much appreciated!


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